The Perfect
by Asutex
Summary: To anyone else, it was just Rachel and Jesse. Rachel, the ignored beauty. Jesse, the arrogant dream man. Rachel Berry and her perfect boyfriend. The sight forced a frustrated sigh from Quinn's lips. She really hated Jesse. -S/B Companion In Development-
1. The Perfect Boyfriend

_[Just so you know beforehand, this story will not contain much, or maybe any, love for the Gleeboys (least of all Jesse). Well, maybe Kurt. I haven't decided. A few **warnings:** this story will contain some language, perhaps a sexual situation or two, and the subject of abuse (physical and/or sexual). Enjoy! I'm writing this because A) I've been watching a Gleeathon on DVD and on Hulu, B) the idea wouldn't leave me alone and C) it's a nice change of pace from my Mass Effect 2 story. I apologize in advance for any and all spelling or grammatical errors.]_

**Chapter One,**

**"The Perfect Boyfriend"**

Jesse St. James.

He was tall and muscular without an ounce of visible fat on his body; an athlete capable of moving with remarkable and flawless grace and fluidity. His voice was powerful and as smooth are marble, floating from his vocal cords with ease. He was -- well, had been, anyway -- the male lead of Vocal Adrenaline, the rival of New Directions. Jesse was cultured, popular, extremely fashionable, able to sway almost any girl with his _borderline_ arrogant charm and a self-described drama queen tendencies.

That final quality matched him up perfectly with one Rachel Berry, the diva of New Directions. Berry was the laughing stock of the entire school. She was constantly mocked and bullied and attacked with slushies since the very first day of high school. In fact, she had been at the bottom of the totem pole since fourth grade. Rachel was an utter fashion disaster with a fondness for sweaters depicting various animals. She put on a great show of self-confidence that faltered when truly challenged by someone who saw through her.

Her fathers, however, had groomed their daughter to succeed. Rachel had an unbelievably powerful voice that shocked some people when they saw the petite body that it emanated from. Her singing was gorgeous and reverberated throughout the bodies of her audience, sending chills down their spines. On stage, she had a magnificent presence that drew all eyes to her. On stage, Rachel was the star.

It was only appropriate that the greatly talented Jesse St. James should be her leading counterpart.

It made Quinn sick.

During glee club meetings, the former queen bee would have to force the bile back down her throat whenever she saw them cuddling so close together. A sideways glance showed Puck edging closer and closer to Santana. Of course, he was. Puck, the pitifully irresponsible man-boy who wouldn't shut the hell up about his Mario games and their impact on changing societal trends. Not quite in those words. Puck hardly used such medium diction in his formation of sentences. He was atrociously like Finn in that way. When they had been dating, it had always grated on her nerves that Finn barely had an eighth grade vocabulary. Quinn was no Einstein, but her verbal development and comprehension made her seem like Shakespeare in comparison to the dimwitted Finn.

Another shift of her crystalline blue eyes pulled the boy in question into view. As expected, the football-turned-basketball player couldn't keep his mooning eyes off of the former social reject that was Man Hands Berry. It was his own damn fault that he had screwed up his chance with the girl. One moment he let her think that they were a couple, the next he wanted to find himself as an individual, then he wanted her back again and was surprised that she actually found another boy who wasn't him. It was as though he had never thought anyone else would be interested in her.

Quinn had known differently, as reluctant as she was to admit it to herself. She had been keeping an eye on the Rachel-Jesse-Finn situation. And her interest had not been to see how Finn was doing. It wasn't to try to steal Jesse away from Rachel either. In her opinion, Jesse seemed a bit like an ass but he treated Rachel too well to actually say something openly against him. It was a fact that she grudgingly approved of and also one that killed her every moment that she thought about it.

No matter how she looked at the situation, Quinn always came to the same conclusion time and time again. She tried as hard as she could to spin the facts another way, stretching them as thinly as she could without them fully distorting into full blown lies. Quinn Fabray, the girl who had once ruled over this stupid high school, had developed...something... for Rachel Berry. It was something that she both discovered too late and could never muster the determination to act on. It was odd, because Quinn knew exactly when the feelings had started to develop. She could point at that specific moment in time and say, "There. That's when I, Quinn Fabray, started falling for _her_. That's when things changed. That moment made all of the difference in the world."

That moment had been so significant to her. It didn't seem to have done anything for the object of her affections.

After a long couple of hours of considering the relationship that Santana and Brittany had, Quinn had actually been starting to think about what it would be like to have Rachel like that. Santana, even though she would never admit it to the world at large -- at least not yet --, would do absolutely anything for the sweet, bubbly blonde that was Brittany. The latina fought on behalf of and defended the girl with every ounce of her strength. To try to insult or hurt Brittany was to commit social suicide. It should also be noted that the perpetrator of such an atrocity may as well punch him or herself in the face until it was a myriad of blues and purples. If they didn't, Santana was sure to do it for them. No one messed with her Brittany. No one.

A movement grabbed her attention and her eyes immediately focused on the subject of her keenest interest. Jesse had turned sideways slightly, pulling Rachel closer to him so that their foreheads touched. The pit in her stomach deepened painfully. The expression on Rachel's face was one of sincerity and pure affection. It took her back to that all important moment. That moment on stage when they turned to face each other during the performance of _Keep Holding On_.

Her feelings of loyalty had strengthened and fully solidified during that performance. It had meant everything to her. Quinn hadn't been able to stop the flow of tears when the music faded away at the end. Rachel, uncharacteristically, broke the choreography to move next to her, sliding her hand into Quinn's. The feeling of her warm, soft skin against her palm and fingers had been extremely comforting at the time. Rachel had squeezed gently in the silence. Quinn, a lump thick in her throat, could barely manage to reciprocate.

Quinn had never wanted to let go; her fingers had intertwined with her so-called nemesis'.

Eventually, Finn had come over to take Rachel's place. The diva had given a last squeeze, then severed their physical contact.

Ever since that moment, Quinn had found her gaze forever following Rachel's movements. She drank in every detail about the high-matienence girl like a dehydrated woman at an aquatic oasis in the middle of the desert. Her eyes would always fall to the curve of her lips, the elation in her eyes when she sang, the brilliant glow of optimism that seemed to radiate from her to brighten the room.

Jesse's lips touched those of his girlfriend's unexpectedly. Quinn's fists clenched in her lap.

Damn Jesse. A resentful, jealous anger swelled inside of her chest. This was different for her. She had never once wanted someone that she couldn't have. Even if they had been taken, all Quinn had ever had to do was to say the word and anyone she desired would come to her side immediately, begging to be her arm candy. This... thing... with Rachel... it didn't work like that. The glee diva seemed all to happy to settle for Jesse. Of course, she wasn't aware that Quinn Fabray wanted her. Maybe if she knew, things would be different...

Rachel pulled back, a small frown tugging her lips down at the corners and marring her pretty face. Quinn watched as the girl's lips moved slightly, obviously speaking in a hushed whisper to her significant other. From the crease in her brow, it appeared that little miss Berry wasn't all that pleased about public displays of affection. This was a normal exchange. Quinn had seen it happen many times before. Jesse seemed to think that he could do whatever he wanted to Rachel, whenever he wanted to. Presumptuous little scum bag. To Quinn's relief, his girlfriend had other ideas.

A shadow briefly distorted Jesse's features, his arm tensed powerfully around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her still tighter to him. It was a casual gesture to everyone else, but Quinn had been paying strict attention to their interaction the entire time. The petite girl shrank in her seat, eyes falling to stare at her hands. Her lips moved again, the words still too quiet to hear. It was an obvious sign of submission and one that her boyfriend definitely did not miss. Jesse's normal cocky expression danced across his face again and his arm relaxed behind her.

Odd.

Quinn's eyes narrowed, her stomach churning uncomfortably. That sinking, constrictive feeling seizing control of her torso must have just been caused by the pain of seeing her girl with another guy. That was it. Her hand slid over her abdomen, creeping around to grasp herself in a firm hug. There was no baby growing inside of her uterus anymore. No child distending her belly so that she looked like a blimp. That fact still came as a shock every now and again. She hadn't fully come to grip with the act of surrendering her child for adoption.

That was about a month or so ago.

She had done the right thing. Puck wouldn't have been able to live up to his promise to care for her and the child. Finn, if he had never lost the delusion that the baby was his, never would have been able to man up for the job. Both of them were too immature, too self-centered, and, most of all, too... too male. That Y-chromosome, no matter how many times she had convinced herself otherwise, had never felt right. Every time she made out with Finn, it was wrong. When she screwed around with Puck after too many wine coolers, it was still wrong. She wanted for it to feel right. That was all that she had wanted. It never had. Never.

It took her several minutes to realize that there was movement all around her. It hadn't even processed in Quinn's mind that Mr. Schue hadn't been talking for a while. When had he stopped explaining their assignment? What on Earth was the assignment for the week anyway? She hadn't listened to a word that came from her mentor's mouth. Jesse rose to his feet, his face alight with his charming smile. Rachel resisted his attempts to pull her to her feet before finally wilting under his gaze and accepting his hand.

Quinn knew that smile. It was all too familiar. It was a smile that she herself had worn on far too many days than she cared to count. The muscles of the brunette's jaw were tight, the smile just barely passing for the genuine thing but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes... Those eyes that were still slightly downcast and fixed on the floor. Jesse's arm snaked around her shoulders tightly as though that was its permanent place of residence. It disrupted the perfect landscape of Rachel's delicately sculpted back and the waves of luxurious brown hair. After a moment, however, Rachel's face seemed to arrange its features in a more convincing manner.

To anyone else, it was just Rachel and Jesse. Rachel, the ignored beauty. Jesse, the arrogant dream man.

Rachel Berry and her perfect boyfriend.

The sight forced a frustrated sigh from Quinn's lips. She really hated Jesse.


	2. The Perfect Victim

**Title: The Perfect...**

**Warnings: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, some language**

**Shipping: Faberry (Quinn/Rachel), temporary Jesse/Rachel, mentions of Brittana (Brittany/Santana)**

**Chapter Two,**

**The Perfect Victim**

Every girl's 'first time' is imagined to be some surreal, fairy-tale moment. It's supposed to be full of pure passion and an endless supply of love. The boy is supposed to be Prince Charming in his shining armor, an ideal gentleman who thinks and cares for his lover during the intimate act that they engage it. It was supposed to work out as wonderful and amazing and to serve as an act of deepest affection and commitment.

Rachel gazed at the picture of Jesse taped just inside her locker on the door.

She had been naive.

It hadn't been like that at all. There were no fireworks, no romantic background music, no warm feeling of completeness. It had been a bit rougher than she had expected, actually. Not that she had told Jesse that, but it had been so uncomfortable that it bordered on painful. Jesse had seemed so relaxed and pleased with himself after the act, almost as though it was something that he did all of the time. That was an unsettling thought. He had told her that he loved her, redressed and then departed with a sweet little goodbye.

That first time had been a while ago. She hadn't even felt ready for it. Jesse had managed to charm her into changing her mind and, looking back, she wished she had waited for a time when she was certain that she was prepared. It was fine, though. It really was. Why? It was okay because it had been an act of love. Rachel needed to jump at every opportunity to prove to Jesse that dating her was worth his time. She, Rachel, was worth his time.

After their first coupling, Jesse expected to be able to have her whenever the desire struck him. Rachel had had to dismiss her worries on the subject. After all, girls like Santana did this sort of thing all of the time. So, it wasn't a big deal, right? Besides, her sexual relations actually meant something and were not the result of alcohol consumption. She was Jesse's girl. Her body was his and his body was her. That was how things worked. It was perfectly acceptable. Now, they had a fairly regular sex life.

Jesse had also suggested, subtly, that she should make some personal changes. He wanted her to dress differently. He believed that she should show off more skin. Rachel made sure to adjust her wardrobe accordingly. The argyle and animal-centric sweaters that plagued Jesse's existence suddenly found themselves stored in the back of the closet to gather dust. Although she had really liked those clothes, she would do anything to please Jesse. After all, clothes could be replaced, but Jesse couldn't be.

Rachel mechanically made her way through her classes. It had become a routine for her. Her grades weren't suffering, but she barely took notice of what her teachers were talking about. All of her time was spent worrying about Jesse. Was he in a good mood? Had his morning been pleasant? Was she annoying him again? Was there something she could do to make herself more appealing to him? Fierce anxiety had slunk into her mind and set-up residence. Rachel was always careful about how much she spoke around Jesse. He had admitted that her tendency to babble and lecture was unattractive. As a result, she tried to change it.

By no means did she want Jesse mad at her. Jesse, the dear boy, could have a temper that smoldered silently until he was alone with her. It came out whenever she annoyed him in some way. It wasn't his fault though. Rachel had fully accepted that she was responsible for angering him and that she drove him absolutely crazy sometimes. It was her fault when he became mad. Due to that, Rachel accepted whatever form of punishment that Jesse deemed appropriate for her sins.

The careful application of make-up had become second nature to the diva. It wasn't like Jesse was actually doing anything wrong. He really wasn't. She just needed to cover up the discoloration of her skin in order to protect her boyfriend. If she didn't or if she messed up, then someone might blame Jesse and accuse him of a crime he hadn't even committed. In a worst case scenario, she could and would defend him and fully testify that he hadn't hurt her. Then again, no one would listen to her. No one gave a damn was 'stubbles' had to say.

Rachel gently brushed a finger over a tender spot located just above her hip on the left side. It made her swear at herself for annoying sweet Jesse. He had just gotten fed-up with her idiocy that was all. There was no way that she could blame him for being so annoyed. After all, she had messed up a simple task. She had been going to make some coffee for him. It was easy, right? Apparently not for Rachel. Jesse had punished her, told her that she needed to learn and he was doing this for her own good; so that she could improve herself. Afterwards, Rachel had felt exceptionally incompetent for even the most basic of tasks. She resolved to be better. She just had to try harder.

The diva rolled her shoulders back, feeling a dull ache as they protested. It had been far worse after Jesse's steel grip a few days ago during the end of glee club. Again, it was her fault that it had happened. Rachel berated herself for pulling away from Jesse's kiss in the first place. He just wanted to show that he loved her. Unfortunately, Rachel was still overwhelmed by self-consciousness for kissing Jesse in front of Finn. She wasn't really in favor of public displays of affection.

Glee club was full of its normal youthful high energy. Everyone was busy chattering away to everyone else in the room. Tina sat close to Artie's wheelchair just in front of Mercedes and Kurt. That was predictable enough. Those four were almost inseparable. Mike and Matt were desperately trying their hardest to flirt with the Cheerios, Santana and Brittany. The lean, athletic blonde was smiling brightly, her clear blue eyes focused intently on Mike's face as he spoke.

Santana, it seemed, believed that if she didn't look at Matt, then he wasn't actually there. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, lips pressed into a narrow line and eyes narrowed slightly in Mike's direction. Something like jealousy passed over her face, but Rachel dismissed it as Puck slid to sit next to her. He was clearly trying to arrange a sexual encounter between them. She was only assuming that was the case because he kept his legs spread wide and insisted on making vulgar gestures. Matt, put out and ignored, tried to compete with Mike for Brittany's attention.

Rachel's eyes finally met those of Finn Hudson. He was sitting in the back row, alone and awkward looking. He gave a goofy smile and waved at her eagerly. The boy had yet to give up his hopeless pursuit for her affections. An arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close. Finn's face fell immediately, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. Rachel turned away to look up at her boyfriend, smiling happily. She opened her mouth to greet him but was cut off by Jesse's lips. For a minute, she just relaxed into the kiss and completely forgot where she was at the moment. When they broke apart, they could hear snickers and disgusted mutters but Jesse still just smiled down at her. Rachel blushed and mouthed her hello silently. Her boyfriend started to pull her away to sit down, but she felt eyes watching her. Automatically, she glanced up. Finn, she discovered, wasn't the only one watching her.

Quinn Fabray's perfect face displayed no revealing emotions. Instead, she looked simply appeared to be contemplative. How… odd. Rachel's face began to climb in temperature, cheeks burning violently.

Jesse noticed.

"Something wrong?" Even though his tone was light and steady, her heart raced anxiously.

"Nothing, Jesse." Rachel gave him a brilliant smile. He did not return it. Instead, his jaw tensed as he clenched his teeth for a moment, his eyes clouding with a familiar threat. He tried to follow what had been her line of sight. To her horror, his gaze locked onto Finn.

"We'll discuss this later."

Something in her expression must have changed because when she next glanced up, Quinn's brow was furrowed slightly, worry expressed in her eyes. It was only for a second. The moment that Quinn realized that she had been caught, her features fell back into their expression of thoughtful serenity. Hoping to alleviate any concerns, Rachel tentatively smiled and gave a small wave. Quinn did the unexpected. A confident smirk curled her lips as she gave a wave back. Rachel was thoroughly bewildered and immediately suspicious of the act. During rehearsal, she barely knew what she was doing. Her mind was focused on the consequences of her supposed crime.

"You were staring at Finn." His cutting tone almost made her cringe. They had gone straight up to her room after reaching her house. Her dads were both still at work and wouldn't be home until later.

"Finn? I wasn't staring at Finn, Jesse, I wasn't." She tried to explain herself, to set the record straight.

"I saw you, Rachel! Don't lie to me. Do you still have a thing for him? What, am I not enough for you?" Jesse was getting angrier than she had ever seen him before. That was a bad sign. A very bad sign.

"No, Jesse, I don't! I love _you_—" Her voice died in her throat as he towered over her, fists clenched. Rachel squeezed her eyes shut.

He was just trying to teach her.

It was okay because he loved her.

......

If his absentee father had taught him nothing else, he had at least instilled in him the simple lesson that all women needed to be put in their place. Even in his earliest memories he remembered his father showing him exactly how to teach a woman a lesson. It was all for the best, he insisted, it was only to help her better herself. He had clapped his son proudly on the back, telling him that one day he would groom the perfect woman.

If Rachel stopped making so many mistakes and just learned the lessons he was trying to teach her, then he wouldn't have to do the things that he did. It wasn't difficult and her problems with comprehending such simples lessons made him angry. It made him furious. It wasn't his fault. If she would stop making stupid mistakes, he wouldn't have to touch her.

Until she stopped screwing up, he would just have to keep teaching her.

……..

**Author's Note**: To everyone who added me or this story to any of their alerts or favorites, thank you so much! Thank you to **jedi13**, **WashedOut** (Jeans?), **DidgetsPatch**, **thatsjustgreat92** (Like the name), **ConservEr1e** (why is the E capitalized?), **Black Fang 02** (Like White Fang, just black!), **black canary** (I like your name too), **stix04** (like the river of styx?), **YasminS032**, **nlgough**, **Blaze Phoenix** (very epic name), **Luyin**, **Waffle's Very Happy** (Yay, happiness!), **Nat365**, **Tichha**, **bandie3565, Sudden Silence** (also epic), **Music and Reading Lover** (I like those too!), and **t3rri**! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

To my pair of reviewers, **Dessa**, thank you for reviewing and I'm really glad that you're enjoying it. I hope you liked this chapter! **Waffle's Very Happy**, thank you for reviewing! I like glee angst too (obviously). Here's your update!

To everyone: I haven't really seen any other stories that involve Jesse as an abuser. Was I the only one who got that vibe from him? Maybe I just plain interpreted his character wrong. Oh well!


	3. The Perfect Moment

**Title: The Perfect...**

**Warnings: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, some language**

**Shipping: Faberry (Quinn/Rachel), temporary Jesse/Rachel, mentions of Brittana (Brittany/Santana)**

**Chapter Three,**

**The Perfect Moment**

"So, Rupaul..." That was a bad way to start things off.

"Rachel, do you want to hang out...?" Pitiful. The words made her gag. Pathetic and cliche. She had to do a lot better than just that.

"Hey, sexy, wanna..." Quinn paused, her words failing her. Somehow, 'wanna fuck' didn't really express what she wanted to do with Rachel. It wasn't just sex that she wanted. Honestly, she could have gotten sex from some randomly selected, low-level loser in the school if she had truly wanted to. Hell, if she wanted a black eye and broken ribs, she could have made a pass at sweet Brittany. Of course, a flirtation with the blond would not go unnoticed by her Latina girlfriend. All that Quinn wanted from Rachel was her heart. That enthusiastic, overwhelmingly kind, warm heart of hers. The same heart that had pushed the mocked and bullied little diva to relentlessly pursue Quinn during her pregnancy. Her only motivation was the make sure that the then-cheerleader was taking all of her pre-natal vitamins and seeing the doctor when necessary.

That initial request for an audience with the glee queen was vital to the success of the rest of their relationship. Rachel didn't trust her. Quinn was cognizant of this problem. That was why it was so important that her new first impression be adequate; more than adequate. It had to be perfect. There was no room for failure. Shifting in her position leaning against the piano in the empty chorus room, Quinn decided on a different tactic.

"Rachel, could we talk?" Quinn didn't like the slight vulnerability that bled into her voice.

"...Quinn? May I ask who you're talking to?"

Well, damn.

Quinn froze, almost afraid to turn around to see the owner of that melodic voice. Her mind was screaming at her, demanding that she 'man-up' immediately and turn around. She had no time to waste. She had been caught in the act and there was no way to turn back now. Firmly planting her trademark confident smirk on her lips, Quinn whirled around, her light hair flipping around gracefully.

"Rachel, hi." Quinn greeted the other sweetly. Her tone did not have the desired effect.

Rachel seemed to draw into herself, eyes carefully observing every detail about Quinn. Her gaze flitted cautiously around the room as though she expected the entirety of glee club to throw slushies in her face at Quinn's bidding. After all, Quinn had a far more secure place in the social hierarchy of their small club. The diva curled her arms around herself tightly, eyes focusing again on the only other individual in the room. Her beautiful eyes were like pools of decadent chocolate, her skin flawless and silky looking, her locks of soft brown air waved gently.

Quinn's voice caught in her throat. Now was not a good time to freeze up.

"Hi, Quinn... Was there something you wanted to speak to me about or is the piano's name Rachel as well?" The brunette's head canted to one side, an expression of curiosity taking over the caution. The wariness was still present, but not as pronounced.

"I just-- Rachel... I'm sorry." The pint-sized star's eyes widened, her full lips parting in shock. Her status as a temporary mute presented the perfect opportunity for her to proceed, "I'm sorry... For everything... And, I know it sounds pathetic and I don't even for a second believe that a little 'i'm sorry' is going to make up for how cruel I've been to you... but, it's a start, right?"

God, she wanted her to say yes. Please, say yes.

The defenses readied themselves again, the walls sliding into place as a preemptive measure in case Quinn's apology was some sort of joke. Still silent, the brunette nodded slowly. This had to be a world record. Rachel hadn't said anything for about two minutes. Encouraged, the former cheerleader tried to get to her point before the other had any chance to shut her down before she finished.

"When I was pregnant... you tried so hard to be my friend. I shouldn't have rejected the offer, but I did... I was worried about my image... Now... I was just wondering if, maybe...could we start over?" Quinn took a step towards Rachel, holding out her hand as an invitation.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Fabray." Rachel was never one to drop a cue. That small, warm hand grasped her own in a firm handshake. It was like electricity had just jolted into her bloodstream at the touch. A sense of exhilaration cascaded over her like a tsunami.

"The pleasure is mine, Rachel Berry." The brunette didn't seem to understand that there was a double meaning to those words. There was about a second during which they were simply holding hands. A locker slammed in the hallway just outside. The moment shattered into irreparable splinters and caused Rachel to pull her hand away. A few seconds of silence followed. Quinn occupied her time by taking in the gorgeous girl in front of her and committing everything about her appearance to memory.

Rachel was wearing an arguably short red plaid skirt with a form-fitting white tank top. A casual glance her way would be enough to convince anyone that the diva had just stepped out of some pervert's hot schoolgirl fantasy. Even though her appearance flaunted her appealing sexual qualities, Quinn still saw a glimpse of the old Rachel beneath the clothing. She still retained that pure innocence that separated her from everyone else in the school. There was one key change, however. The innocence was stifled; strangled. It was weary.

Quinn frowned internally.

These days, Rachel acted... differently. At times, she seemed skittish. Other times, she knew exactly how lovely she looked and used it to distract from the detailed changes in her behavior and appearance. The latter always resulted in a stormy looking Jesse. Quinn was certain that said boy was responsible for the development of the quieter, differently clothed Rachel.

"I should go, Quinn... Jesse will be waiting for me. He doesn't like to be kept waiting and I don't like to waste his time. It's rude and while some stars are rude to people like the paparazzi or fans, I will not be that kind of star. I am the kind of star who will not be rude to her biggest fan: her loving boyfriend. I will see you tomorrow... We can move on from there." There was the babbling, completely characteristic monologue that she had been missing for a few weeks. Rachel, unsure of the appropriate way to end the encounter, opted for a firm nod before almost fleeing from the chorus room.

Quinn allowed a grin to spread across her face, pleased at her success. It was just the start, but it was still progress. Quinn collected herself, slipping into her careful costume of cold confidence. If nothing else, her wonderful parents had taught her how to make a character and then stick to it. The Fabray family was full of excellent actors and actresses on each side. The Fabrays did not fight, they did not have disagreements or differences of opinions, they did not discuss their feelings. The Fabrays lovingly cultivated their image as the ideal family. The perfect, wealthy businessman of a father; the regal, lovely housewife of a mother; the beautiful, popular cheerleader of a daughter.

These lessons had all been of vital importance to Quinn's development as a young woman. They were the primary guiding factors that drove her every decision. She could do absolutely anything that she wanted as long as it was in character. Breaking the habit of wearing lies was difficult. Quinn still couldn't quite manage to break out of the shackles, but she was working on it. For the moment, her facade kept her safe. Fewer people bothered her when she kept up this particular act.

By the time that she stepped into the hallway, Rachel had already gone.

As was normal, Quinn met Puck by his car and rolled her eyes at his flimsy excuse for a mohawk. Like hell was that little thing a mohawk. She didn't understand why Puck insisted on claiming that he had something that he obviously did not. Seeing as she had tried to have that argument with him before, she saw no point in bringing it up again. The narrow strip of black hair was barely noticeable. His hair was still recovering from having been butchered off by a doctor after 'The Freckle Incident'.

As a housemate, it turned out Puck was actually decent enough to live with. Finn had kept his clothes strewn about his room, the toilet seat up and unflushed after his visits to the restrooms, and dirty dishes stacked in piles in his room. His mom had been a single mom, so one would have assumed that maybe he was mature enough to realize that he should pick up after himself. It hadn't taken long for Quinn to discover that this was not the case with her then-boyfriend. Finn Hudson was truly a giant man-child.

Puck, on the opposite side of the same masculine coin, kept his room fairly organized. It was hardly pristine, but one could actually see the bottom of his closet and walk in without stumbling over his crap. He helped his mother with the dishes and, surprisingly enough, with cooking as well. The bathroom always smelled nice because of the air freshener that his mother insisted on keeping there and he neither left the seat up on the toilet nor forgot to flush. It seemed that having to work with his pool cleaning business had actually given him a sense of responsibility. Puck, much to her initial surprise, had also taken great care in making sure that she had one side of the bathroom to herself. Vulgar and repulsive as he could be, it could still be said that he was considerate. Well, considerate of her.

Quinn, even after the months of living with him, still felt as though she was imposing on his family. Despite his assurances that she wasn't, the blond refused to accept his answer and did everything she could to help out. Puck's mother appreciated the assistance and was delighted to chatter to her while cleaning or preparing meals. Quinn found that she did not enjoy the restrictions in her diet while under Puck's roof. She liked being able to eat bacon. She was in no place to complain and simply continued in showing her appreciation at being taken in by such a nice family.

It turned out that getting into Rachel's good graces was easy enough, but painfully slow going. Any large friendly gesture on her part was regarded with intense suspicion and uncertainty. Quinn was forced to take baby steps. Each day, she tried to do something -- anything, really -- that was small and that could be considered innocent enough. Some days, all she could do was lend the girl a spare pencil (on the rare occasions that Rachel was actually unprepared for class). Other days, the brunette actually let Quinn make some progress by walking with her to class or making friendly small talk.

The other glee kids took little notice of the budding friendship. After all, the relationship was barely in its infancy. There was one person in particular who took a keen interest and he did not seem exuberant about the new friend his girlfriend was making.

"Why is she hanging around so much? What's her angle?" It was as though Jesse was the little voice of paranoia in his girlfriend's head, the voice that told Rachel not to trust her, that she was up to something that would hurt her. The cool manipulative tone to his voice infuriated Quinn beyond reason.

"Jesse, she is attempting to be friends with me. I," Rachel paused, eyes averted slightly and then continued on in a tone so low that Quinn had to inconspicuously shift herself closer to listen, "I am not entirely certain... but I think I trust her."

Her boyfriend said something in a murmur so quiet that there was no way for Quinn to eavesdrop. That was okay, she had heard enough.

Quinn glanced down at herself, smoothing out her clothes in a vain attempt to look more attractive to Miss Rachel Berry, the diva queen. It wasn't as though she had dressed any differently than she usually did. The simple green dress that she wore complemented the verdant tones in her irises. She had never had to work particularly hard to look good.

"Hello, Rachel." A bright smile.

Jesse gave a none too subtle glare before stalking out of the door... without Rachel. A feeling of triumph filled her chest. Hell yes, Quinn for the win.

"Quinn, would..." A pause before she restarted with forced confidence, "Would you like to come to my house this evening? I was thinking that we should attempt a social interaction outside of the educational setting, don't you agree?"

"Works for me." Quinn painted the most disarming smile possible on her lips. It seemed to ease the tension in Rachel's smooth muscles. A bit of her former enthusiasm shone brightly through her recently adopted demeanor.

The house of the Berry family was a decent size. It had two floors along with a sizable basement that, according to a glowing Mr. Berry, was devoted to documenting every piece of paper associated with their little girl's life. Rachel's room was located upstairs and down the hallway. Quinn could have taken in more about the girl's room, but she was far more focused on the object of her intense affections.

Away from Jesse, it was almost as if the old Rachel was back in full force. Yes, she was still a little more reserved, but her returning excitement and high energy behavior was refreshing. The brunette was more than happy to tell stories about each of her two dozen or so trophies. There were some people -- a lot of people, actually -- who simply pretended to listen when Rachel spoke on and on; there were some people who didn't even bother to pretend and just outright ignored her; there were some people who viciously sniped or insulted her every time that she came close.

Quinn didn't fall into any of those categories.

Not anymore, anyway.

When Rachel spoke, Quinn tried to look casual as she hung on every word. Every important event, ecstatic vocal inflection, and crucial detail was pulled out from the flurry of commotion and stored away safely in her memory banks. Rachel's arms and hands made grand gestures and illustriously mimed every action as she recounted her tales to a gently smiling, one-woman audience. Rachel Berry was such a diva. Laughter bubbled up in Quinn's throat but had to be hurriedly forced back so that the brunette wouldn't think she was being mocked.

It was stunning how much Rachel could talk without taking a single breath. She had to be breaking every world record that Guinness had in the area of speaking. The way that her lips moved was enchanting. Quinn had to actively force her eyes to focus on Rachel's to avoid staring at her mouth. And then her heart came to a stand still. Rachel's hand was on her. Rachel Berry's hand was touching hers. Those small and delicate fingers were clasped around her own. A faltering glance up at Rachel's face told her that the girl had just gotten caught up in telling her story.

Even so, the moment was perfect. A sense of utter euphoria shook her and immediately disabled any protective walls that had remained standing. It took every ounce of self-control not to grip onto the other girl's hand tightly and refuse to let go. That would be rushing things. It would ruin all of the progress that had been made. Her hazel eyes scanned over the visible light skin of Rachel's knuckles to her hand to her wrist and followed an invisible line just up to where her sleeve began. She couldn't stop the serene smile that was slowly developing and refusing to be repressed.

Amid the smooth skin of the diva's forearm, there was a subtle change in skin tone. The only reason that Rachel even noticed it was because of her expertise in the area of make-up. The covered area was barely a different shade than the surrounding flesh, but, nonetheless, it was still different. In Quinn's opinion, Rachel was very good at putting on make-up. When had she developed skill in applying make-up?

Encircling the arm with her hand, Quinn used her thumb to absently rub at the spot. It was purely out of curiosity and actually acting on the whim was unintentional. Well, since she had started, she might as well continue. It was better than trying to hold the diva's hand. This was just a gesture of friendly intimacy. Girls did this sort of thing all of the time. Her actions did not go unnoticed. The monologue died away, confusion causing Rachel's brow to crease. Quinn, however, was more concentrated on the revelation of the discoloration that marred otherwise perfect skin. It was like an unintentional ink spill on a perfect expanse of blank canvas.

"Did you hurt your arm on something, Rachel? Run into a desk?" The question itself was innocent enough. Had Quinn not looked up when she had, she never would have known something was bothering the other girl. For a fleeting moment, Rachel's expression became worried and closed-off. The change, no matter how brief, was cause enough for some amount of concern.

......

For adding me to alerts or favorites and/or adding this story to your alerts or favorites, I sincerely and enthusiastically thank Michelle-u2, aeval, cbirdfly, epei, Ravin' Raven (clever, I like it!), Smallville-HarryPotterfan13 (how is Smallville progressing these days? I stopped watching a while back because of Lana's inevitable departure.), Valvox, ichirukifan, Lyndseybug, xxnadiaxx92, NotEnoughFuffy (are you perhaps referring to Faith/Buffy? If so, then I totally agree! There isn't enough!), beyond-the-twilight, fuzzycocoa64, Vilandra59, Serenity102, faberry666 (Heck yes, Faberry for the win!), The 11th Doctor's Mermaid Sam (That is an involved name, right there. Very nice!), Random Dice (I like this name too!), Rae Shadewalker.

For reviewers, it's your time now!: **Recall The Love**, thank you so much for being the first reviewer for last chapter. Dude, you must have said the magic words or something because there were eleven reviewers that came after you. It was so unexpected! **Dessa**, yeah, I do seem to churning these out pretty fast. The chapters are shorter than I would usually like, but this story has done wonders for my muse and it's so much fun to write! Don't worry, Jesse will have to face Quinn eventually. **Yorick**, I was a bit confused about what you meant by hard to read, but I'm glad that it seems like you're enjoying the story nonetheless! **Sheaggins**, thank you so much for reviewing and I'm really excited to get the Faberry love going! **Music and Reading Lover**, thank you very music for your support! **epei**, Welcome to the 'Jesse Can Be a Creep' club! I'm really happy to hear that you think highly of the writing in the last chapter, thank you! **pseudohuman**, I love these types of in-depth reviews so keep it up! Originally, I wasn't going to put in a back story for Jesse. But, by the end of the chapter, it just seemed wrong and incomplete without some input on his mindset. It turns out that I didn't like trying to write him as just some guy who likes to beat on his girlfriend. Thank you so much, really! **Valvox**, I would be worried if he didn't bother you by now! You are encouraged to mentally beat the boy into a pulp! **Km**, thank you so much for reviewing and I will try to keep up the quality! **Blaze Phoenix**, that scene just creeped me the hell out. I was like, 'You creepy little SOB.' This whole story actually was inspired by the moment in the hallway when Jesse playfully punches Rachel in the arm and says, 'She's a keeper.' The look on Rachel's face in reaction to that just made me angry at Jesse. **Rae Shadewalker**, thank you very much! He's a sneaky little bastard, isn't he? **emmacancook**, thank you so much for reviewing and I'm glad I've got you interested enough to keep reading!

To Everyone: The Idina and Lea scene this week was brilliant, don't you think? I never saw that little twist coming. I mean, yeah, I expected that Jesse was just trying to play Rachel, but for the whole (SPOILER) familial connection between Shelby and Rachel? Awesome, man, awesome. I Dreamed a Dream was amazing!


	4. The Perfect Proposal

**Title: The Perfect...**

**Warnings: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, some language**

**Shipping: Faberry (Quinn/Rachel), temporary Jesse/Rachel, mentions of Brittana (Brittany/Santana)**

**Chapter Four,**

**The Perfect Proposal**

Rachel hurriedly swept down the hallway, arms wrapped around her books and holding them tightly to her chest. She kept telling herself that there was no cause for such worry. Jesse would understand why it had happened. He would. He was sweet and perfect and logical. There was nothing for her to be concerned about. He had just texted to say that he wanted to see her alone after school to discuss what had happened with Quinn.

Even though she couldn't find a reason for him to be upset -- Quinn had, after all, accepted her flippant excuse -- it was still possible that she missed something. Maybe there was some detail that proved that any anger on Jesse's part was warranted. What if she had screwed up again? The idea was entirely too possible, probable even, for her liking.

_"Rachel, are you okay?" Quinn's voice was polished and sang with an unspoken note of something like nobility. It was so much more beautiful than her own. It always had been and forever would be. As much as it stung her to admit it, Quinn was also a good singer. The former Cheerio was smart, beautiful and charming._

_Why was Jesse dating her again?_

_"Oh, that? It's just from an accident I had during my routine morning workout. I just didn't want it showing. It's a little embarrassing to hurt yourself doing something that you do every single day and night." Rachel hoped that her smile was convincing. More than that, she tried to pull her arm away slowly as to not draw attention to it. Jesse had been a little more careless that usual. She would have to mention that to him. The blob of discoloration that Quinn had seen was just a small part of it._

_A smile like a brilliant star lit Quinn's face, causing her to glow in even the dim lighting of the bedroom. Then a soft laugh. It was familiar and yet a stranger. That same laugh had before been scathing and humorless; the laugh of cruelty and superiority. It had stung every single time that she had been subjected to the harsh sound. It was changed now. The laugh was warm and open. It wasn't trying to tear down the little self-confidence that remained. Instead, it was almost as if the room was a bit brighter because of the melodic sound._

_Rachel found her mouth slightly open from the sheer shock of hearing such an incredible difference. Quinn's mouth was moving now, but the brunette found that she had no idea what the other was saying. A realization had just overwhelmed her._

_Quinn Fabray's attempts at gaining her friendship were sincere._

"Rachel. Come here." The voice drew her in. It was as though it spoke directly to the muscles that controlled her legs because, without a second thought, her feet were carrying over to her boyfriend. Much to her dismay, he did not look pleased to see her. The diva berated herself mentally, feeling uncharacteristically and genuinely angry at herself for not picking up on what her mistake had been.

"Jesse, I can explain." Rachel began, but her boyfriend cut directly to the source of his irritation.

"Why was Quinn in your room to begin with? More than that, why was she on your bed touching your arm at all?" Jesse's endearing possessive nature rose to the surface in full force. The implied accusation of his expression and word choice caught her off guard.

"I am certainly not interested in Quinn like that, Jesse... I am positive that Quinn Fabray would never want anything to do with me of that nature--"

"Don't play innocent, you must know how she looks at you, Rachel." He had reigned in his temper and his voice had been replaced with one that was dripping with forced sweetness and laced with a dangerous thread of underlying outrage.

Unfortunately, Rachel had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. She hadn't noticed Quinn looking at her in any particular way. The only difference that she had noticed was that the blond's hazel eyes were kinder and warmer when met her own. Rachel was honestly bewildered by the entire situation rolled out before her.

"Jesse, I hones-" A bolt of pain that she knew was completely deserved. They were still at school, so he couldn't be so open about his method of punishment. He told her that it was something that no one else would understand. She knew that to be true. No one else would understand their love. Her boyfriend's fingers tightened around her wrist, the force increasing steadily.

Rachel knew that Jesse was a very observant individual. He always proved that by popping up at her house bearing gifts and apologies for any pain he may have caused. Sometimes he would come over to her house when she wasn't even there. Dad and daddy both approved of him wholeheartedly because of his extravagant displays of affection. Once he had left beautiful lilies on every open surface in her room along with a note of sweet words and sincerest regrets about having to teach her something.

"I think we should go somewhere so we can be alone, don't you, Rachel? We need to talk about this." Rachel could only respond with a muted nod, eyes lowering as an aura of self-loathing settled over her body. Jesse just smiled casually, releasing her arm to firmly wrap an arm around her waist. He pointedly ignored the slight wince that was elicited from his rough touch.

Jesse dropped her off at home about an hour later, sore and aching. She could almost feel the bruises forming on her back. This time, at least, the boy had been more careful with his area selection. It was more difficult to make excuses for injuries on her back and shoulder blades, but it was also easier to hide them from the rest of the world. During a change between two performances, Rachel had once been caught with her shirt off with a feeble explanation for a splash of purples and greens stretching across her ribcage. Luckily, it had only been Brittany who saw and, as far as she knew, the blond had never made a mention of it to anyone.

Still, there had been a moment there when she thought that she saw something like sad recognition in the blond's eyes. Rachel could only assume that she had imagined it, because she never saw that look again. The cheery blond still gave off a sense of fluffy kittens, pink butterflies and happy rainbows. It was just her personality. Neither of them had ever spoken of that exchange. Neither of them even acknowledged that anything had happened.

Rachel joined her dads for dinner, more than happy to partake in the meal that they had prepared. Rather, the meal that daddy had prepared. Dad couldn't even microwave food without burning it. Daddy, on the other, was an excellent cook and had taught her to maintain a healthy diet and to keep to organically raised produce and proteins as much as she could. Tonight, it was a delicious meal of perfectly grilled chicken, organic brown rice and steamed vegetables. It sounded awfully plain, but the right techniques and seasonings really did wonders for the taste.

Seeing and talking with her fathers did wonders for her spirit, but was only temporary.

As was customary after these punishments, Rachel found herself curled up on her bed. Her knees were tucked up against her chest, arms wrapped around them as she inexplicably stared at her wall. Her eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, just a randomly selected spot on the wall. This time, it happened to be her _Annie_ poster. The position she sat in was uncomfortable and strained the new injuries to her back, the skin pulled tight there.

Before she fully realized what she was doing, Rachel found herself sliding the all too familiar tape around in her hands. She turned it over and over in her fingers, just gazing down at the precious object. It was her more valuable possession. A possession that she wasn't even supposed to have yet. Then the tape was back in her stereo and her finger pressing down on the play button.

A pause and then those words she so longed to hear spoken aloud, '_Hey, Baby..._'

The tears started before she had a chance to realize what was happening. It immediately started her spiral downwards. God, why was she so stupid? She wouldn't blame Jesse for breaking up with such an incompetent and thoughtless girl like herself. He could have anyone that he wanted. Most days, Rachel just thought that he was far too sweet to leave her for someone more worthy of his time and romantic efforts. She collapsed into herself, pressing her forehead into her knees as she sang softly.

It had been a few weeks and, though he initially seemed thrilled to help her find out who her mother was, Jesse's enthusiasm for the idea had died away. It was right around the time that he had been forced to start punishing her more frequently that he gave up on helping her. In fact, he seemed to have changed his mind about it even being a good idea. Rachel, on the other hand, had found that she couldn't just stop looking for the woman on the tape. It was too important that she find her mother. It was her dream.

The song ended, just as it always would. Again, her mother was gone. She was just out of reach; she was haunting Rachel with that voice of hers. The sixteen-year-old diva couldn't remember the last time that she was able to sleep through the night. Rachel would always awaken from the same dream that taunted her with a distant, ethereal woman singing to her. She would cry out, run on and on for what felt like miles until she felt every muscle quivering with exhaustion. Her hand would reach out, her fingers grasping desperately for her mother's outstretched arm.

Then she would find herself in her room, awake and very much alone.

Every day, her heart broke a little more when this happened.

It hurt that Jesse wouldn't help her, but she understood completely. Really, she did. He was a good guy, but he also had his own problems to deal with. He was busy with practicing for all of the solos that Mr. Schue gave him and dancing and participating in various other extracurriculars at school. It was only fair that he be able to do what he wanted without being held back by her silly need to do something that would probably never happen.

Quinn gave her that slow, sweet smile when they passed in the hallway to go to different classes. Rachel returned it without a second though but then Jesse's words rang in her ears again. Jesse was smart and perceptive, but he had to be wrong about this. Quinn had always been well-liked by their peers. Rachel, on the other hand, had always been less popular but it wasn't until fourth grade that people really started to genuinely hate her and her personality.

When she was in middle school, there had been a period of time during which she believed that she had some sort of feelings for the mean-spirited cheerleader. Rachel had been confused and had no idea what to do. With no one that she felt she could talk to about the subject -- including her two dads because they were still of the opposite gender -- Rachel just fought the emotions down into the depths, locked them away and forced herself to never revisit them ever again.

She moved to invite the girl down to sit with her and Jesse, but a sharp glare stopped her in her tracks. Instead, she ended up just sort of awkwardly waving before taking her designated place by her talented boyfriend. Unnoticed by Rachel, Jesse kept her focus on his girlfriend out of his peripheral vision.

He was not at all happy about this new interested that Quinn seemed to have in Rachel. His girl may not have noticed the looks, but Jesse definitely had. He had seen the former cheerleader watching the diva when she thought that no one else was looking. A rather cliched way to discover such a thing, but sometimes cliches were unavoidable in some situations.

Jesse was fully aware of the reason for the covered circles beneath Rachel's eyes. Her eyes seemed unfocused and vacant. It almost made him feel guilty until he remembered that men were never supposed to feel bad. The man comes first, the male children are next, the female children come after that, and the woman comes last. That was how relationships were supposed to work. He had a very good reason for failing to follow through on his promise to help Rachel find her mother.

He saw Shelby Corcoran about every other day. Educationally, she was his advisor and insisted that he continue working on routines with the rest of Vocal Adrenaline. Personally, she kept asking about Rachel's progress in finding her. He saw the ache behind the shields of her guarded brown eyes. It was omnipresent even though she tried to pretend otherwise. Still, he had to put his well-being first.

His form of punishment was frowned upon -- though he didn't understand why -- and he was aware that Shelby probably wouldn't react well to it. Well, maybe she would? He wasn't going to risk his place in Vocal Adrenaline to find out. There was nothing wrong with the way he decided to discipline the lesser partner in his relationship. His dad had said so. Why would his father teach him the wrong thing?

Next to him, Rachel tightened the muscles in her back to see how severe the pain was. It was still pretty damn bad. For the first time, the diva couldn't wait for Mr. Schue to stop excitedly babbling on about the week's lesson. All she wanted to do was go home and try to look for some lead on where to start looking for her mother. A thought struck her.

If Jesse didn't know about it, maybe Quinn could help her out.

Once the meeting ended, Jesse expectantly rose and turned to face her. She knew this would hurt his feelings. He was so sensitive about wanting to spend every moment with her and she found it sweet, but this was something that she needed to do. After quietly and hesitantly murmuring that she would be staying to rehearse, Jesse's eyes clouded before he strode out of the door with an unfeeling kiss on the cheek.

"Quinn?" The dress that said girl wore floated gracefully as she spun around with a bright grin. Rachel couldn't help herself. She stared at the fleeting perfection of the sight. The way that the normally unimpressive lighting of the chorus room hit Quinn's soft hair and glowing face only made the image more breathtaking. The diva, panicking, forced the thoughts from her head. It would be idiotic to entertain such notions while she was already in a loving relationship with the most talented male in New Directions.

"Rachel." Her hair framed her curious face just right as her head tilted to one side, waiting for whatever it was that the resident drama queen had to say.

"I have a clandestine proposal for you." Pulling herself to her full, diminutive height, Rachel continued on in a bold tone, "I am in need of assistance with a research project of vital personal importance. This is a task that must be kept only between the two of us, do you understand?"

Quinn's forehead creased slightly and she didn't seem to know whether to be concerned or flattered that Rachel had chosen her to help. Nevertheless, with a slow luminous smile, the former Cheerio agreed with a simple nod. An understanding passed between them, a mutual acknowledgment and confirmation of this secret operation they were embarking on.

On the inside, Rachel was feeling inexplicably happy about the set-up.

How strange.

.......

For adding me or this story to their alerts, favorites, or both, I thank Ash Ninja, ForeverTVlover, DefyGravity-Meow (Hell yes, Wicked!), KrissyH415, serenityashe, PerpetuallyDazedandBewildered (very cool name, by the way), xlaugh16 and Recall the Love! Thank you all very, very much! I appreciate all you do to show your support!

To my reviewers, **Reading and Music Lover**, I'm really happy that you liked it and thank you for reading and reviewing! **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, thank you very much and eighth season? They've had eight seasons? Wow, way to go them. **angylgrrl**, whoops, sorry! Just because I wrote one doesn't mean that you can't! Go right ahead, I don't have a monopoly on this angle of the Jesse-Rachel-Quinn triangle. This is definitely a Faberry fic, trust me. Faberry is awesome! Yeah, I kept watching it too! It's so amazing and they look so, so alike. They could seriously be mother and daughter. **Sheaggins**, Thank you very, very much! **Valvox**, yes, that is you! Yay, you! **Yorick**, I understand now, thank you! That's a really big compliment! I really hope the writers have Idina and Lea sing more duets together. I so can't wait for next weeks episode. That teaser was such a tease. **Random Dice/Spike**, yep, I am going to! Thanks for the input, it helped edit the way that this story is going because that was an excellent thought. Your name's Spike? It's just like the vampire on Buffy! (Sorry, geek moment). **Blaze Phoenix**, I spent a few minutes looking at their pictures side-by-side. The resemblance is striking; so unbelievable. Thank you! I liked the way that itty-bitty Faberry moment worked out. **pseudohuman**, my Quinn is not oblivious and I like that (obviously, or I wouldn't have written her that way!), yeah, Jesse's just going to continue on with what his twisted mind thinks is right. It actually made me a little sad to write my version of his back story. Thank you very much for reviewing! **Rae Shadewalker**, thank you very much for the review! I'd actually considered a story line similar to that and am still thinking about it. I guess I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. We'll see what happens! **stix04**, oh! That makes sense! I never even think about drums when I hear that word! Silly me! **km**, I am happy to write something well enough to keep you hooked and thank you for the review! **Dessa**, for some reason, everything flows better when I write from Rachel or Jesse's point of view and it gets a bit rushed or halting when I write from Quinn's. I will do my best to give you some good Faberry scenes to enjoy though! **xlaugh16**, Jesse just never really connected for me, so I ended up disliking him -- a lot. Oh well! Thank you! It's always nice to hear that people think you're creative. **Recall the Love**, oh, wow, that was quite flattering, thank you so much! Quinn and Rachel will have their lovely Faberry moments, no worries. I've got a few scenarios for the actual discovery of the abuse in mind. I'll end up writing out all of the scenarios and then select the one that flows the best to built the chapter around. Can't wait for your next review!

**Author's Comments**: So, guys, don't hate on Brittany if you know what I'm hinting at. I've been planning that set-up since the first chapter. I plan on writing a parallel Brittana story, so I'll be making mentions here and there of those two. And I'm sorry if these chapters seem like they're coming out too close together, but this has been a great exercise for daily writing. Seriously, a godsend for stimulating creative thoughts. Hope you enjoy this chapter!


	5. The Perfect Bond

**Title: The Perfect...**

**Warnings: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, some language**

**Shipping: Faberry (Quinn/Rachel), temporary Jesse/Rachel, mentions of Brittana (Brittany/Santana)**

**Chapter Five,**

**The Perfect Bond**

At the present time, Rachel was stretched out across her bed on her stomach with her laptop opened in front of her. Since her blond companion's arrival at the house at seven at night the previous evening, they had been at this task diligently for hours and hours. This had become somewhat of a routine every other day. In fact, Quinn was at her house so often that her dads had taken her aside after dinner.

"Rachel, dear, is there something that you would like to tell us?" Her daddy, Leroy, asked sweetly, his expectant facial expression showing that both he and dad expected something from her. The question made her heart drop and her face to lose all color. Did they know? How could they have found out that she was looking for her mother? Did they notice that the tape from that box was missing? Had they overheard she and Quinn discussing their own theories?

"I'm not certain what you are talking about, daddy." Her voice was casual, albeit measured. She decided that it would be best to approach the situation by feigning absolute innocence. Maybe she could convince them that she had no idea what they were talking about.

"Sweetie, you keep bringing this girl over to sleepover and eat dinner with us and to study. You've just started spending so much time with her over the last month and we don't see Jesse very often any more. There's no rush, we just want to know if this girl is a good person. We worry about you, baby girl. You used to be bullied by this same girl just earlier this year." The implication of his words finally struck her. Suddenly, she was having trouble finding words to say anything and heat flooded her face.

"Dad, Daddy, I assure you that Quinn is simply a friend and we have a purely platonic relationship." The conviction with which she said it was halfhearted for it felt like a lie. That confused her. It wasn't a lie. She and Quinn hadn't _done _anything. At the end of that thought, she was almost tempted to add the word, 'yet' before she shook herself. "Please excuse me, dad and daddy, I must return to studying. I love you!"

Now, she found her looking at girl gracefully spread out on the floor to work. Rachel bit her lip, not wanting to voice the question that pleaded for verbalization. Every time that she even thought about asking the former Cheerio, she found that she just couldn't find the nerve to say what she wanted to. The diva had found herself in this same situation at least a dozen times since Quinn's arrival earlier. It was as though the blond sensed her dilemma for Quinn looked up to meet her eyes, a questioning expression spread across her fine, almost aristocratic features.

"Is there something on your mind?" A pause as she considered her words and then added, with a self-deprecating smile, "You know, apart from the obvious."

"Quinn, I would like to know about your baby." There it was, a fairly insensitive question delivered with her characteristic bluntness. It didn't seem to impact Quinn much except for the tide of restrained sadness that flowed into her hazel eyes.

"Know what, exactly?" The question wasn't angry. It wasn't even annoyed. There was just sorrow sewn into the quiet vocal inflections. At the reaction to the query, Rachel found herself feeling overwhelmingly guilty at putting her new friend (the word was still strange for her to associate with the girl) through what she could only suppose had been an emotionally painful experience.

"How..." Her voice wavered as she rushed the rest of the words out, "How did you feel? How did you feel when you gave your baby for adoption?"

This was another reason that she had chosen Quinn to work with. Quinn wanted to be friends, to gain her trust. This would be an excellent opportunity for her to do just that. However, it was a unique opportunity. She had never met anyone in Lima who had given a child for adoption. If there had been someone -- anyone, she would have sought them out long before this moment. As far as she knew, she was also the only child who had been adopted in Lima. It was a fact that she had discovered at an earlier age. It was a fact that made her feel incredibly lonely at times.

Now... Now, she had Quinn. Quinn could offer a far different perspective than any she had heard before. Quinn could help her understand what her mother was thinking. Rachel needed Quinn to help her through this. It wasn't something she could just do by herself. She needed someone's personal feelings.

"It was... It was heartbreaking." Seemingly tapping into some unknown reservoir of strength, Quinn looked up again and steadied her gaze with Rachel's. There was an intensity burning there that hadn't been present before. "I... Almost didn't see her... I really only got to see her for a few seconds... But I never was able to hold her... I regret that... I think I'll regret that for the rest of my life, honestly."

The girl's voice was terrible and yet intoxicating to listen to. It wavered, choking up to the point that Quinn had to stop to collect herself. Rachel found herself leaning almost over the edge of the bed as though be nearer to Quinn would help her feel the emotions for herself. The former cheerleader's entire body was tense

"It wasn't an easy choice for me, Rachel," Another pause, "I'm sure it wasn't easy for your mom either... I mean, I know that she was doing it for your dads, but once she saw you it must have killed her. There's a connection there that you'd never expect... After everything that happened because of pregnancy, I really didn't think I would love that baby... my daughter, as much as I do... When she's eighteen, I hope she wants to meet me... I-I hope she can forgive me and understand and be proud of my decision.."

The silence that followed was neither awkward nor tense. There was just an atmosphere of forlorn serenity. Rachel was moving before she fully realized her muscles were moving. She settled herself directly in front of her friend, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently. And then her voice started speaking of its own volition, "Quinn, as an adopted child, I sincerely believe that you will get to meet her. I can't imagine not wanting to meet my mother... You could probably guess that from the work we've been doing... Trust me, Quinn, you'll get to see your daughter and she won't be able to imagine a more wonderful or successful mother. Trust me."

The conviction in her own voice was shocking to both of them. She squeezed the other girl's shoulder reassuringly. Then, unexpectedly, Rachel found herself drawn into a tight hug.

Quinn was not crying or sniffling. There was no show of waterworks or any other evidence of something that could even be hinted at as being weak. They were just two friends holding each other. It was an act to give comfort and to lend strength. Rachel closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as a subtle flowery scent alerted her brain of the closeness of their situation. It was just a friend thing; a platonic gesture of mutual support during an emotional exchange. The explanation sounded weak even in her head.

Even with an array of bewildering thoughts and feelings flurried and twisted violently around her mind, Rachel tried to beat them down to be addressed at a later date or not at all. She had Jesse. Jesse was amazing. He was sweet, kind and patient. All she had to do was remember that and not take that special relationship for granted. He was all that she had, honestly. He was the only one who would ever take a second glance at her and see her as worth anything.

It became increasingly noticeable that this embrace was lasting far longer than was the social norm.

Rachel was the first to pull away, clearing her throat slightly and acting as though nothing had just happened. In fact, nothing really had happened, so there was nothing for her to be nervous about, right? Right. Nothing to feel confused about. Nothing to consider ever again.

"Quinn?" Rachel spoke quietly, eyes fixed on her stereo and avoiding the direct gaze of those bright hazel irises.

"Mmm?" The blond considered her curiously, but Rachel continued to refuse to look at her. There was something that she wanted to share with the young mother. It was something that she felt Quinn might appreciate. It was also something that only she and Jesse had ever listened to or even knew existed. The brunette, starting to feel a bit nervous, rose to her feet to pad over her plush carpet to pick up the cassette from the safety of its concealed hiding place. The blank tape was turned over in her fingers a few times, Rachel concentrating on it without really seeing it.

Now or never, Rachel Berry.

"Please, just listen to this. In regards to your feelings about your daughter, I am of the belief that this will actually help you." Her hands were shaking and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the intimacy of the content that she was about to reveal to the the blond.

'It's your mom. I think this pretty much says it all...' As Rachel turned around at the familiar words, she saw that Quinn's lips had parted and eyes widened. She obviously hadn't been expecting to hear Rachel's mother voice come from the speaker. Along with the surprise, there was a foggy hint of something else swimming around in the browns and greens of Quinn's eyes.

She knew that this would come. It was inevitable. Every single time that she subjected herself to this song, her emotions amplified sharply and Rachel Berry transformed into a raw nerve.

Quinn noticed the tremble accompanied by the clenching of fists. Rachel sank onto her bed, tucking herself into a position that made her as small as possible. There was an agonizing sense of vulnerable, childlike innocence about her. It hurt to see her so open and -- Quinn noticed something for the first time -- _broken_.

Rachel Berry was broken. It was so clear to Quinn now. Why hadn't she picked up on that before? The blond watched the other girl so carefully and diligently. And yet, she had missed this vital piece of information. She was Quinn-fucking-Fabray. Information and popularity were currency and she had been rich, once upon a time. Picking out bits of information was something she was supposed to be good at. Here, in front of her, was evidence to the contrary. The ghost of Rachel's former spirit still lingered but was only barely clinging to its continued existence.

Even as she intently listened to the singing, there was a tickle of recognition that she simply could no place. Something about that voice was familiar. She had met the owner of that voice, she could feel it. That knowledge made her blood rush as her heart pounded in her chest. It was intensely frustrating that she could identify the source of that voice.

"Quinn...?" Rachel's hesitant murmur snapped her back from her thoughts. The former Cheerio offered a warm smile and reached forward to lightly grasp the girl's arm. Quinn couldn't quite organize her thoughts, but she felt a tremendous sense of urgency to connect that mother to her beautiful daughter. She knew that she would want the same if the situations were switched.

But, it wasn't about her at the moment. This was about Rachel.

"Thank you," Quinn's tone was kind and sincere. It was a tone that very few people were graced with. "Really, Rachel, thank you. I guess... this isn't something you show many of your friends, is it?"

"What friends?" The question was quiet and sad, but lacked any bitterness. "No. No, it's not something that I have shared with many people. It was just Jesse and me until a few minutes ago, Quinn."

Of course. Jesse. How she loathed that name and everything associated with it.

Jesse. In her whirring brain, a dim light bulb sprang to life and begged for her to notice it. With no other guidance for where to go from there, she hung on to the train of thought as the connections zipped into each other. Jesse St. James. _Jesse, _the former lead of Vocal Adrenaline at Carmel High. Vocal Adrenaline, the rival show choir. The show choir that was led by a tall brunette.

That choir director was _Shelby Corcoran_.

Shelby Corcoran, if Quinn remembered correctly, was an exceptional singer. Her bone structure and facial characteristics were literally mirrored in Rachel with only a few differences. The full realization smacked her down like an enraged Santana Lopez.

"Rachel! I know who she is. I _know_ her." Her tone came out in an extremely unflattering high-pitched note and Rachel reacted with an appropriately dubious expression. Quinn took both of her hands as she stood up, squeezing with gentle insistence.

"I'll show you, I'll prove it to you, just wait!" A mix of anxiety and excitement filled the brunette's eyes and fought for dominance. Quinn pulled her friend up onto her feet and into a soothing hug, enjoying the physical contact that never failed to send sparks across her skin. "I'll show you, okay? If I'm wrong, you never even have to say anything to her. I'll take care of this."

Rachel's arms tightened around the blond's waist as her body went limp and she finally broke down and cried. Quinn was more than happy to be her shoulder to cry on.

....

For adding this story or me to their favorites, alerts or both, I want to thank kem77, King666, KittenDoll, The Twilight Topaz, sakushi12, Cardboard Fox (your name made me laugh. Very clever. Brownie points for you, man), ko120, kotter4, Davis B.P. (I don't know if you mean it like this, but you name reminds me of One Tree Hill because of Brooke Penelope Davis!), CordeliaHalliwell (Charmed = awesome. Buffy/Angelverse = awesome squared.), Couciec (this sounds like a foreign language!), and perpetualbylss. Thank you all very much!

My reviewers! **Music and Reading Lover**, thank you very much and I don't like him either! **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, wow, that's a lot of seasons. I don't think I ever actually expected it to go that far! Maybe I'll try watching a few episodes for Chloe and Lois. They're smartasses (especially Lois). **Valvox**, aww, thanks! Whoops, bye-bye Jesse! *zombie Jesse arises* OH NOEZ! PATIENT X IS GOING TO MAKE GLEE ZOMBIELAND! REMEMBER, EVERYONE, DOUBLE TAP! **ForeverTVlover**, thank you very much! Really? I'd like to read some of those other stories if you happen to remember what they are! **Sheaggins**, thank you very, very much! Daily writing has been a lot of fun and I finally figured out where my writer's block comes from! Ash Ninja, there are going to be a few people who want to have a free for all on Jesse. **Random Dice/Kelsie/Spike**, no worries, not fifteen chapters! You're not a dork, just a Dice! Random Dice! **Cyberbaby**, yeah, everyone should beatdown Jesse AND his father because they're both just messed up! Thank you! **Blaze Phoenix**, I like Brittany too! Brittany and Santana, I imagine, would have a really amazing relationship. Best friends to friends with benefits to awesome lesbian couple! **Recall the Love**, I like these types of stories too. Never could figure out why, though. Ah, yes, in my confused and more angsty youth (all of five years ago), I tried writing stories like this. I always threw them in the trash though. They never seemed to feel right. Really, thank you so much for your reviews! I love hearing how people interpret my writing and the feelings of the characters. Keep it coming! **still.2**, interesting name! Anyway, thank you very much, I am trying my best! **km**, search 'brittany santana master fic list' with Google and the first result should be **brittana: master fic list**at LiveJournal. There are actually a few really good Quinn and Rachel stories on there! **CordeliaHalliwell**, thank you so much for going back and reviewing each chapter! It really means a lot to me! Shelby is not going to be happy -- to say the least -- when she finds out. **Dessa**, thank you very much for taking the time to review and for your suggestions! I love hearing suggestions from everyone who reviews, it definitely helps add ideas into the mix and that helps me write! Writing Rachel makes me sad, but then I'm happy again because I remember that I control the story!

**Author's Note**: I so can't wait for Rachel to meet Shelby on Glee on Tuesday. That is going to be so bad ass.


	6. The Perfect Confrontation

Shelby Corcoran absently pushed a tendril of long chestnut hair from her eyes. While she very much enjoyed that her hair was the way that it was, she was still forced into an endless battle against it as it insistently tried to impair her vision whenever she looked down at something. At the moment, she was seated in the auditorium at Carmel High facing the stage from her table located up in the seating area. It was perfectly leveled so that she had a clear, even view of the entire stage and gave her an ideal position from which to instruct her Vocal Adrenaline kids.

The performance today had been decent enough -- probably fantastic by standards lower than hers -- but still unsatisfactory. Yes, she was hard on her kids, but they were all the better for it. They were highly sought by the most prestigious artistic colleges in the country. In the end, all of her students were appreciative of how much she pushed them. Even though she was mostly confident about their chances of taking Regionals without much competition from New Directions, there was a single singer on in the rival show choir that she was worried about.

She had been doing her best all day -- every day, really -- to stop thinking about her. The task proved impossible even for her. That girl was extremely special to her. Rachel Berry had more talent in her pinky finger than even she, her mother, had had. The girl was a singer, a dancer, an actress. The petite little sophomore had a voice as strong, if not stronger, than her mother's.

The first time that Shelby had seen her perform, she had been forced to excuse herself to go cry.

Her star pupil, Jesse St. James, had been given the special task to befriend this special girl. Shelby finally couldn't wait any longer to form a relationship with her biological child; the child that she wished so dearly that she had selfishly kept for herself. The choir director was not sure what sort of person these thoughts made her, but she was sure that she didn't give a damn.

Thus far, it seemed that Jesse hadn't had any luck getting Rachel to figure out who she was. That was beyond disappointing. Shelby leaned forward onto her elbows, forehead pressed firmly into her intertwined fingers. Damn it. Just... _Damn it_.

Static screeched over the speakers, causing her to wrench her head up and narrow her dark chocolate eyes. Dark auditorium at night when she was all alone and the audio systems start to malfunction. This had to be the setting a B-list horror film.

With a resigned sigh, she made to stand up but found herself pausing as someone walked towards her up the isle. It was a moment before she came into the bright lights of the pathway. An eyebrow arched at the sight. It was a tall blond young woman. The attractive youth was dressed in light skinny jeans and a delicate green top that wonderfully complemented the girl' eyes.

"Can I help you, kid?" Shelby settled herself back down in her seat. "You do realize it's late, right?"

After a moment of silent consideration, the blond responded in a light, cultured voice, "I think you know a friend of mine from a while back. Rachel Berry. Does that name sound familiar to you in any way?"

Shelby wasn't a teenager. She knew how to keep her composure when in stressful situations. It was a handy life skill that would be good for all kids to master at an early age. Keeping calm could help in absolutely any situation. Well, maybe not in _Saw_. Everyone is pretty much fucked in those _Saw_ movies. "I don't believe I know who that is. Can I help you with something else? You really should not be here--"

'_...baby. This is your mom. I think this pretty much says it all._..' The sound of her own singing melodically floated from the surrounding speakers of the spacious room. Well, that was evidence to prove that she was lying. At the moment, though, that failed to concern her. Immediately, the facade fell to reveal cold suspicion. Her primary goal had changed to trying to figure out where the hell this random girl got a tape that was _supposed_ to be in her daughter's hands.

"What is this supposed to be?" Shelby's voice had adopted a hard, sharp edge to it.

"You know exactly what this is." The young blond gave a cocky, lazy smile as she leaned forward with her hands braced against the choir director's table. Those hazel eyes were laughing at her in an infuriating manner. This was still just a kid though. She couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen. "Just tell me, okay? I need an answer for my friend. Were you or were you not a surrogate mother for Leroy and Hiram Berry?"

There was an unspoken threat of international proportions hidden in the otherwise casually spoken question and it promised terrible things if Shelby lied to her about this extremely important subject. However, the choir director had a iron will and strength about her. But, this wasn't something she wanted to lie about if it meant Rachel had finally found her. The only downside was that Jesse had not been the one to direct the search and get her here sooner.

"Yes. What of it?"

With that, the blond unexpectedly straightened up and turned on her heel before vanishing into the darkness of the auditorium. Well, that was bewildering. The sound of her continued song overpowered any other noises and this was most obvious when she failed to hear footsteps and yet saw two people walking back up the aisle to her. Shelby's mouth fell open slightly, disbelief stunning the normally prevalent ache in her heart. Was this really happening?

That girl -- that amazing, beautiful girl stepped into the light. The eyes, so similar to her own in shape and color, kept glancing nervously over at the blond flanking her side. Her complexion was absolutely flawless just as her own was and those dark cinnamon tresses were so much like her own. That petite sixteen-year-old had her hands wrapped around her midsection. The blond carefully wrapped a slender arm around her companion's shoulders in a supportive gesture and murmured something.

"Ms. Corcoran?" That voice was cautious and wavering.

When had Shelby risen to her feet? When had she covered her mouth with her hand? Shaken, the choir director found that she had lost her ability to speak. For a few moments, she tried to come up with some sort of response. To her horror, tears began to well up in the teenager's eyes even as she tried to blink them away before they fell. It seemed that the young girl had taken the lack of response as a rejection. Even as Rachel turned to try to flee, her friend caught her around the waist and gently spun her back around.

"Rachel... Baby girl... I'm your mother..." Shelby found that her voice was even and strong.

"I-I-I know..." Rachel stuttered, voice soft. Her legs seemed to be absolutely paralyzed because she couldn't move without a little push from her friend. Shelby's eyes found those of her biological daughter's friend. She mouthed a soft thank you to the teenager. The gesture was received and acknowledged with a firm nod, but no smile.

From behind the curtains onstage, one specific boy gaped at the scene before him with wide eyes and a sick sinking feeling in his abdomen. Jesse St. James had definitely not expected to see this scene when he remembered that he forgot his wallet backstage. He had been standing there for the better part of fifteen minutes.

This was a disaster.

How and the hell had this come about?

With a feeling of rising anger, Jesse's eyes focused not on Rachel or Shelby, but on Quinn Fabray. That damnable cheerleader who wanted to get into _his_ girl's pants. This must have been while Rachel would come up with excuses to rearrange their planned dates. The fact that his girlfriend had been avoiding him just to spend time with her slutty new friend was not okay.

She would hear about this later. What if Quinn had made a move with his girlfriend? What if, worse, Rachel had returned her affections? Uncontrollable jealousy made his chest tighten and his fists clench with smoldering violence. Rachel would definitely be hearing about this.

At the moment, he would have to think of damage control. Shelby now knew that Jesse hadn't been helping her daughter. Now that the two had been reunited, he was faced with a huge problem. Rachel better now tell her mother about his method of punishment. A sense of injustice swept over him and he suddenly felt slighted. His reasonings and actions were completely justifiable.

Swearing under his breath as he watched Shelby draw the smaller, stunned brunette into her arms, Jesse turned his back on the scene. After making sure that the light from his screen couldn't be seen, Jesse sent a quick text to his girlfriend. They were going to have a talk tonight. He wouldn't be able to restrain himself for any longer length of time.

For the next few hours, Jesse found himself staring over the dashboard of his car with his fingers clenched around the wheel. His entire body was shaking with indignation. What was taking Rachel so long with Quinn? What were they doing together? That thought made his blood boil over. It was possible that, while he was sitting in this car and acting like a carpet to be walked on, Quinn was running her hands all over the girl that rightfully belonged to him.

When Rachel finally knocked on his window, she looked as though there was a lot that she wanted to say for him. She had no place speaking at the moment. His sharp glare silenced any words that had been about to rise from her mouth. He exited the car, gesturing for her to follow him for a short walk in the park. His girlfriend looked nervous. That was understandable. It was dark and they were alone in a park and about to head into the woods.

Rachel, wringing her hands together, kept silent. Jesse, wanting something else to do with his hands, plucked a stick into his hands from the ground. It gave him something unthreatening to do while he thought of what to say about Rachel's misbehavior. Finally, he found that there was absolutely no better way to phrase his question.

"What the hell were you doing with Quinn?" Rachel's face fell as she floundered while trying to find the right words to explain herself. He never allowed her to finish because he rounded on her and his height brought him towering over the girl. Rachel shrank away, trembling. However, there was something different this time. The fire was back in her eyes. It burned brightly and had the audacity to challenge him and his authority.

It enraged him.

With an overwhelming, uncontrollable feeling of unrepressed anger, his arm rose back into the air. His fingers clenched around the stick, an unbidden thrill of power coursing through his veins. He had never thought to enlist 'help' in his punishments. His father had sometimes used belts. Maybe his father had been onto something there.

....

To those who added me or this story to alerts, favorites or both, I would like to say thanks! Thank you, Backwards In The Dark (that must be disorienting!), Smalville-HarryPotterfan13, thejackal85, jesslovesglee (I love it too!), DreamsUnderstood, Embers of Twilight, SVUaddict, Tuesday The First (interesting name!), Seaweed Water, stargazer1408, theworldismine772, and xraex21.

To my reviewers! **Music and Reading Lover**, thank you so much! **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, Quinn's just awesome like that, thank you for reviewing! **xlaugh16**, I had a lot of fun with that! Rachel and Quinn are just great together! Recall the Love, I'll be sure to check your fic out, man! I bet it's awesome. **Anon**, thanks! Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, I really, really don't like Jesse, but I end up feeling bad for the messed up kid. Of course, then I feel vindictive and imagine Santana and Quinn kicking some ass. Thank you, really! **km**, yup, cliff hangers for the win! **calhoun91**, here it is, I hope you like it! Thank you so much! **Valvox**, and, remember, _cardio_! Here it is, I hope you like it! **SVUaddict6**, thank you very much! I really wasn't sure even how to write pregnant Quinn and her emotions. Yeah, it would have presented some cute 'Quinn has cravings' moments, but it's okay! Seeing as I'm adopted, I'm very much in favor of having Quinn give the baby for adoption. **kikky**, thank you! No one is going to be happy about Jesse.


	7. The Perfect Mistake

No bones were broken. Nothing was broken, that was all that mattered. Nothing was broken. Nothing was broken. Nothing was broken.

That was a lie.

She was broken.

How did she become this shell of a person?

It had taken two hours; one-hundred twenty whole minutes, for her to end up back at her front door. All she had received was a gentle, but firm apology. It hadn't sound very apologetic, honestly. Yet, she had simply murmured to him that there was absolutely nothing wrong; that he wasn't at fault, it was her own doing because she had forced him into a corner. She had made him punish her.

Suddenly, those words sounded odd.

At some point between leaving the car and walking up to her room, something had changed. It fully hit her when she had pulled off her blouse and caught a look at her body in the mirror. There were only a few spots of unblemished skin. The outline of that stick was clear. Each furious formerly red welt had begun to darken into various purples, greens and blues. They melded together to form ugly colors across her otherwise beige skin. It was an awful contrast.

Tonight had made all of the difference. Rachel loved Jesse. She loved him and was devoted to him. And now, she found that she was also scared of him. Fear was not supposed to have a place in a relationship, right? How was she to know, though? It wasn't as though she had had many boyfriends. Perhaps this was a totally normal part of all healthy relationships.

That didn't seem right either.

Rachel gently touched her soft abdomen, but winced anyway. It hurt. It hurt a lot. She had to note every bruise by looking in the mirror. She needed to know where each mark was so that she could properly cover them up. Unfortunately, she only had so much make-up. Certainly, she didn't have enough cover-up for all of the discolored skin. Rachel frowned as she struggled to decide which marks to take care of.

It wasn't as though anyone would be seeing her shirt off anytime soon, so she only needed to take care of the ones that might show if her shirt happened to raise up for some reason. Just as she started to organize her her cosmetic products on her bed, the phone next to her buzzed softly. The vibration was followed by an insistent burst of song. Specifically, it belted out a tinkling that went along the tune of I Dreamed a Dream.

'_hey. im outside. let me in? - B'_

B?

B as in Brittany? That had been a stupid question. Of course, it was Brittany. Only Brittany signed her texts with a B. Still, that couldn't be right. As she hastily tossed a shirt back on and padded down the stairs, Rachel soon discovered that the Cheerio, Brittany, was actually outside of her house. The blond gave her usual bright smile upon the opening of the front door and bounced inside. Well, okay then.

The tall Dutch girl happily followed Rachel back up to her room and agreed to be quiet so that she would not wake the Berrys because, after all, it was very late.

"Brittany, is there a reason that you've decided to come traipsing over to my home without any forewarning?" Rachel asked of the girl quietly after her door clicked shut.

"...Yeah, there is."

Rachel's brow furrowed with worry. Brittany had gone from her usual happy-rainbows-and-kittens self to a more subdued, serious version of herself. She had never experienced anything like it before with the girl. This was nothing like the Brittany she knew. It was unnerving.

Without a single word, Brittany closed the space between them and her fingers curled under the hem of the loose tee she had thrown on after discarding her blouse. Shocked and unable to formulate an appropriate response, Rachel felt her face growing hot from the implications of the blond's actions. Was this just about sex? If it was, Brittany really didn't waste any time with sweet talking.

Then Brittany's hands were gently tracing shapes on her stomach. Wait. That wasn't right. Panic set in as a horrible realization hit her. Brittany knew? Brittany knew about what Jesse had done. Brittany _knew_. How the hell did Brittany know?

"Britt - I can explain, really, I can..." A long pale finger pressed lightly against Rachel's lips to silence her fumbled explanations. It worked.

"I _know_, Ray." Brittany's voice was heartbreaking as she caressed the bruises with the utmost care. "I saw you go into the woods from my porch. I was talking to San on the phone and then you and Jesse just came from nowhere. I thought it was weird. I mean, he had to carry you back to the car. I knew you were hurt. I was worried."

"You're the only one who knows about this, right?" Rachel's voice bordered on desperate. The brunette gave a shiver from the continuous feel of Brittany's feather soft hands observing the damage that Jesse had done. "It-It wasn't his fault, Brittany. I promi-"

"Liar." Rachel's eyes went wide at the firm declaration. She had never heard Brittany take that tone with, well, anyone. Not ever. Brittany had always seemed to be the ever-bubbly, slow but lovable cheerleader. Rachel wasn't sure to think at this change in her. "San knows too. She's angry. She started swearing and everything."

"S-She won't tell Quinn? Please? Don't tell her. Don't tell anyone else. Please, Brittany, I'm begging you..." Her pleading voice was more like a whimper. Brittany's clear blue irises were soft and conveyed extreme sadness. To her horror, Rachel saw tears welling up in the Cheerio's eyes. Those eyes seemed completely unable to tear themselves away from her bruised body. It made Rachel feel extremely naked and vulnerable.

Everything was unraveling.

Rachel was shaking violently, wrapping her arms around herself as though to shield her torso from Brittany's view. It didn't work and Brittany just pulled her into a hug. This couldn't seriously be happening. It couldn't. She and Jesse had been so careful about hiding this part of their relationship. A sick feeling twisted her muscles into tight, painful knots as she realized something. Brittany's reaction to this method of punishment led her to conclude that this was not a part of a normal relationship. Somehow, it was too much for her to accept that.

"San's going to be butting you tomorrow. She said so." Brittany's tone was so full of doubtless conviction that Rachel wasn't sure if she should ask.

"Butting, Brittany?" Her question was gentle.

"Yeah, like following you around and stuff!" Ah. Of course.

"Do you mean 'tailing', Brittany?" This was answered with a noncommittal shrug that showed that the blond honestly didn't care what the proper word was. It only then crossed her mind that Brittany had never promised not to tell Quinn. She had avoided the question. Still, she almost didn't want to push the subject. The only reason that she didn't want Quinn to know was because she was terrified that the former-Cheerio would react just as Brittany had. The last thing that she wanted was for Quinn to feel such sorrow.

"Ray...?" Her Brittany-exclusive nickname was spoken hesitantly.

"Yes, Britt?"

"You know... this isn't what people are supposed to do when they love each other, right? San told me. She told me that if anyone hurt me, I should call her right away and she'll take care of me. If you love someone, you don't hurt them." The simple explanation made Rachel tremble, squeezing her arms around the slender blond. The squeeze was reciprocated gently. "Hey, Ray? Do you want a shirt?"

Leave it to Brittany to make her blush furiously.

Rachel immediately scrambled to pick up a shirt from her floor. Her friend seemed completely unaffected by the sight of one of her friends half naked. After all, she had been the one to reduce her to that state all too easily. Had her motivations been different, the blond probably would have been able to ease her into the sack with so much as a blink on her part.

Brittany ended up staying the night. As awkward as it may have been, Brittany insisted that, since they were having a sleep over, they should sleep in the same bed. After all, she and Santana did that all of the time! Rachel didn't care to point out that the hotheaded Latina and the blond had a very different relationship. Like a puppy, the loving Cheerio cuddled up close to her before falling asleep. At some point, she even draped an arm around Rachel's waist. The brunette diva found that, surprisingly, she didn't mind. It was comforting.

What would have been more relaxing than this? Quinn. Quinn would have made things better tenfold, no offense intended to her Dutch friend.

Brittany grasped her hand and happily helped her carry her possession into school the following morning. As promised, Santana was impatiently waiting by the diva's locker. Dave Karofsky was just scurrying away like a frightened mouse, the remnants of green slushie dripping from his clothes. The hockey player also appeared to have his hands awkwardly placed in front of his groin. He and Santana had apparently had 'words'.

In her normal exuberant manner, Brittany bounced over to her unspoken girlfriend and threw her arms around her neck. The Latina returned the embrace gently, her dark eyes only closing for a second so that she could relish the contact with her girlfriend. The exchange was sweet and brief because Santana pulled away, eyes fixated intensely on Rachel.

"Let's go, Berry." As Brittany cheerfully took Rachel's hand again, it became obvious that she was not going to be given an option. The diva was led down the hallway and noticed something that seemed too weird to actually be happening. With Santana and Brittany flanking her, the crowds of usually cruel teenagers parted to either side of the hallway. The throngs of people only regrouped once the cheerleaders were a safe distance ahead of them. Otherwise, the masses avoided eye contact and tried to stay as far away from the trio as possible.

No wonder the Cheerios strutted around school as though they held all of the power in their palms. This was exactly why. They felt entitled because people treated them as such. If people didn't scramble out of the way whenever a Cheerio came around, maybe the hierarchy would be arranged differently.

Of course, maybe it was just Santana. Admittedly, the girl was slightly terrifying when she wanted to be.

Where were they taking her? They hadn't mentioned anything to her.

Santana opened the door to a bathroom, barked harshly for everyone to get the hell out and then waited for Brittany to enter with Rachel. The lock clicked behind them. The diva barely noticed as her eyes were too focused on the blond before her. Quinn. They had _Quinn _in here. She spun on her heel to face Brittany with a betrayed expression on her face, but the Cheerio wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Quinn, why are you here?" Rachel's voice wasn't as calm as she would have liked it to be. The former Cheerio glanced over at Santana before taking a few steps towards her, hands clasped together in front of her body.

"Santana said that there was something you needed to tell me." Uncertainty spread across her face. Obviously, the Latina had implied that this was Rachel's idea and so the brunette's confusion didn't make any sense.

"There is something she wants to tell you. Go ahead, Berry. Tell her. Show her, if you'd like. Do it... or I'll do it for you. Your choice." The impatience in her voice earned a reproachful frown from her girlfriend. Santana at least had the decency to grimace and then appear appropriately apologetic.

Rachel remained frozen to the spot. Seeing that the girl was not about to do what was expected of her, Brittany casually slid forward and began undressing her again. Looking up, Rachel saw a completely unexpected emotion on Quinn's face. The normally peaceful smile on her lips had been replaced by those same lips being pressed into a tense, tight line. The hazel eyes burned with indignant jealousy. The glee club star felt heat rising to her face again and gave Brittany the time that she needed to pull her top off.

In an instant, the envy had vanished and made room for disbelief to set in. The bathroom fell silent at once. It was so quiet that they could even hear the soft sound of her shirt hitting the floor as clearly as if it were a firecracker. It was as though Quinn didn't honestly understand what she was seeing. The sheer force of her gaze made Rachel want to cover herself up. This couldn't be happening. Leave it to Santana to make this more dramatic than was necessary.

"That son-of-a-bitch did this to her. The one who claims to love her and calls Berry his girlfriend." The hatred boiled just beneath the surface, harsh and biting. It seemed that even Santana couldn't bring herself to look at the injuries too much as she turned her head away to press her forehead into her pretty girlfriend's shoulder, the dark brown eyes closing. A stream of expletives flowed from the Latina's lips and ranged from the most crude English swears to the more liquid Spanish.

Quinn still didn't speak. Her arms had simply wrapped around herself, one hand biting her knuckles as her hazel eyes scanned across every inch of blemished flesh. Then the eyes finally rose to meet her own gaze. Rachel found herself unable to tear her eyes away, no matter how desperately she tried to do so.

And then hell broke loose.

In a flash, Quinn was out of the room and sweeping down the hallway as a force of nature. It was something like a hurricane concentrated into a slender, seventeen-year old girl's body. It was a magnificent, tremendously intimidating sight to behold. Santana and Brittany hastened to cover Rachel up and usher her back into the bathroom to redress herself. The Latina gave her girlfriend a kiss on the lips before rushing out to catch up to Quinn. Brittany was left to tend to a quaking, tearful Rachel.

Quinn, on the other hand, could only see red in front of her eyes. Everything in her line of sight better damn well move out of the way or be prepared to be shoved aside in the most violent way possible. Faces were considered briefly and then dismissed without a second thought once that she knew that they did not belong to the boy she was looking for. There was nothing that Jesse St. James could do that would excuse or explain away his actions. At that moment, she couldn't get the image of that petite, battered body from her mind. How could anyone do that to her? How could he sleep at night knowing that he had brutalized that girl?

The moment that Jesse came into view, Quinn zeroed in on him like a predator would prey.

"You bastard." Her voice was not her own. It was low and grating.

Her fist pulled back and pelted the confused looking boy right in the jaw. Jesse stumbled backwards, eyes wide with shock, and was unprepared for the kick that struck him way below the belt. All color drained from his face and a strangled sound squeaked from his mouth in the least masculine way possible before he crumbled to the ground. It was around that moment that Quinn felt herself being pulled away from the boy she had just attacked. Voices were questioning her, but she had eyes only for Jesse.

"Get the hell back on your feet, St. James. _Get up_!" The ruthless cheerleader was back in full force, demanding that she be allowed to continue her assault.

It seemed that Matt and Mike were making every effort to hold her back even as she seethed. There was another scuffle except that Santana burst through the ranks of the crowd and, with admirable strength, shoved Jesse to his feet against a locked and jabbed her knee up into the boy's groin. Santana was like one of a valkyrie of Norse mythology. At that moment, she earned Quinn's trust and respect faster than anyone else had before. Every wrong that had been done was instantly forgiven. With each blow of her fists and brutal wrench of her knee, a broader sneer curled the blonde's lip higher.

There was note of pleased viciousness that tinged Santana's normally beautiful face.

When Quinn turned her head and caught sight of Rachel curled into Brittany's arm.

The former Cheerio barely noticed that she was being hauled away by an administrator.

This was well worth being suspended for. Quinn wasn't done with Jesse St. James yet.

...

The following are the people that I would like to sincerely thank for adding me or this story to favorites or alerts. Thank you, MediaManic452, contemptuous appeal, My Personal Rose, JackyKay, Geez Geena, spashley08 (Spencer and Ashley for the win!), cool witch, , fja, Witchy Tropp, sciissorhands17, Shorty-600, Couciec, klmck1990, razmataz13drums, and Omni-Obiter. Thank you all!

**Music and Reading Lover**, good! Continue to hate Jesse and laugh at his pain! I know I did.

**Dessa**, you're welcome! It's great fun to read through all of the responses to the story. I love feedback! It's like heroin, man.

**Ash Ninja**, here you have it, Quinn AND Santana!

**calhoun91**, You've impressed me with your high level diction in that review! :D

**Random Dice/Spike/Kelsie**, I've made it something like how I've imagined my meeting with my biological mother would be. I definitely wouldn't expect that to be all sunshine and puppies. I don't mind the suggestions! I made Jesse screw up and lose his temper in a public place so Brittany could come in! Yay, Brittany!

**Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, Quinn is pretty intense, man. She's awesome like that. I think she and Shelby will get along as well.

**Valvox**, San and Q got there first!

**contemptuous appeal**, thank you! I'm very glad that you like it.

**My Personal Rose**, I liked that line (in Chapter 3) as well! I thought it sounded like a Rachelism. And thank you very much!

**Embers of Twilight**, I don't actually know what Spring Awakening is about, what is it? I should look it up!

**JackyKay**, thank you for the review and here is the update!

**Rae Shadewalker**, now everyone knows! (for better or for worse)

**Geez Geena**, you're welcome! Jesse's just a creep, you know? Faberry is awesome!

**Hello**, hi! Thank you so much for reviewing and I'm so glad that you like it! Quinn's a smart girl, but we have Santana and Brittany to thank for helping out!

**CordeliaHalliwell**, I know the feeling. Anyone treats my girlfriend, child or friend like that and they're just asking for it.

**km**, I have a few ideas in mind for Faberry and Brittana. I'm definitely not done with writing about Glee just yet.

**fja**, :D

**Witchy Tropp**, I like Shelby too much to make her a bad person, honestly. (I relate too much to Rachel to put her through that kind of betrayal. Personal weakness, I suppose. Oh well!)

**Blaze Phoenix**, everyone is Saw is always screwed! Like, really, always!

**Recall the Love**, dude, I will definitely check your story out! I'm looking forward to it, really.

**razmataz13drums**, no offense taken! Thank you very much for your kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**Omni-Obiter**, thank you, Reader! All Q needs is a white horse to ride around on. I always thought Rachel would be the type to fall victim to abuse like that.

**tishpish**, thank you very much, and here's the update! I hope you enjoy!

_**A note from snippax**_: Glee is tomorrow! Hell yes!


	8. The Perfect Queen

Quinn Fabray was on top of the world. She held the universes in the palm of her hand and dictated the very laws of existence. She was both the immovable object and the unstoppable force. Mortals bowed at her feet and worshiped the very idea of her power. Heretics must repent and beg for mercy for their sins or face ruthless and eternal damnation at her command.

Okay.

Perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but that was exactly how Quinn Fabray felt.

Sure, she was suspended. However, that had very little - if any - impact on her life. The school had called her house to inform her parents of her heinous crime and, amusingly, were put-off by the response that they received. The Fabrays claimed that they only had one daughter and that she was off in college. More so, they demanded that the school never contact them again. Puck's mother never made any mention of the incident. Instead, she baked her a small, personally sized cake and gave her a pat on the back. Puck later explained this gesture by saying that his dad could be a violent drunk.

After her display of 'badass-ness' the entire school had jostled around and placed Quinn right back up on her pedestal. It wasn't what she had been trying to achieve, but it was not an unwelcome change. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed being on the top of the food chain. It placed her in an ideal position to move the rest of the student population exactly as she wanted to. She would use that to the best of her ability.

Quinn Fabray had promised herself that Jesse would continue to pay for his atrocity.

The returned Queen Quinn had called upon Santana, her lieutenant in all matters related to the school, and given her the firm 'request' that she organize everyone - and she meant everyone - against Jesse St. James.

"Make his life a living hell." Quinn had said. The vindictive side of Santana glowed in delight as she considered how to organize the various cliques to unite against the bastard. The Latina had then proceeded to do exactly as she was ordered by Q. Santana Lopez made sure that every moment that Jesse St. James was on campus, his life was as hellish as possible.

Karofsky had been easy enough to convince. He reigned over his hockey player buddies and acted as their undeclared leader in the brutish clan of idiots. As crude and cruel as he may have been to Glee-clubbers before, he gruffly admitted that his sister had once had a boyfriend like St. James. He was not amused. It had only taken a few seconds for the entire team to talk amongst themselves and declare that they wanted the abuser gone from their school and their town.

The Cheerios, football players and basketball players of both sexes fell into line behind Finn, Puck, Brittany and Santana. Matt and Mike set up the details, but effectively made sure that Jesse wouldn't be able to move through the hallways without being slushied, shoved into lockers and otherwise harassed or physically bullied. After school, every sports team took turns ambushing him and beating him into the ground before he got to his car.

Mercedes Jones and omnipresent sidekick Kurt Hummel both took great joy in convincing the AV members and various other low level clubbers to assist in the campaign against an enemy whose very presence was degrading to their town. Plus, if they were united against the same person, it meant that the higher-ups wouldn't pick on _them _anymore. This proposal easily brought in more people to the cause.

Quinn was pleased to hear Santana report that the soccer players had shoved the former-glee club star into a Porta John, closed the door and then roll the beastly thing around. It had continued for a while until they finally had to depart but Santana had stuck around the glory in the beauty of the sight. Even better to see was Jesse forcing himself out and retching onto the ground from the overwhelming odor of the waste covering his body.

More than anything, there were two objectives that were absolutely vital. For no reason was Jesse St. James to be allowed within ten feet of Rachel Berry. Anyone who stumbled and let his close to her would be paid in blood. Their own blood. The football players and Cheerios had been given the strict task of punishing those who let St. James near Rachel. Next, and this rule was unspoken but still expected, no one would even be allowed to send a mean thought in Rachel's direction. If Rachel was hurt in any way, the perpetrator would have to face the Queen herself. The order came down from the Power-That-Be, the highest one on the social pyramid.

Like hell would anyone disobey her.

Quinn waited patiently just over the official line that separated the campus from public land. The queen bee was not allowed to be on campus, so she didn't wait on campus. However, she was located in a good spot so that all exiting students could see that the top dog was still watching over her domain. It served as a display of continued power, even when exiled from her kingdom. As expected, Rachel emerged immediately.

Rachel had been different since the assault on St. James. She was reserved, shut down and lost. Her supposedly confident shell had been cracked when she opened herself up to Jesse and what did she have to show for it? Nothing. It seemed to have proved a lesson to the diva. From what Brittany's scarily accurate perceptive skills told her, Rachel seemed to think that she was truly unlovable; that she wasn't actually deserving of love..

It was heartbreaking.

However, there was a glimmer of light. It seemed that whenever Rachel saw Quinn, her despair and self-loathing would fall away if only for a little while. As long as Quinn was present, the old Rachel was as well. Sort of. It wasn't completely her. She was still not as hyper or talkative, but Quinn would take whatever she could get.

Then the object of her deepest hatred emerged from the school. He seemed to have a black eye. This made her smile broadly. Even so, he had seen Rachel. He had started to make a beeline right for her. Well, there was no reason to let the vulnerable brunette know that the reason for her trauma was trying to come and talk to her as though nothing had happened. Carefully wrapping a gentle arm around the diva's waist and shouldering her bag, Quinn made eye contact with the nearest red jacket.

Ah, Karofsky. One sharp, wordless command sent the lumbering imbecile charging at Jesse. Within the moment, he was grounded. Good. God, how she loved to have her power back. A smirk twisted her lips briefly before vanishing as she turned back to squeeze Rachel affectionately.

"Rachel, how are you?" It took every effort to keep worry out of her voice. It didn't matter though, Rachel picked up on it regardless and gave a soft and humorless laugh.

"You ask me that every day without fail, Quinn."

"Yeah, well, I kinda like you, you know?" Her sweet voice rang like music to Rachel's ears. The brunette hugged her books tighter to her chest. It suddenly struck her that the taller blond was very, very close to her. The position that they were in could definitely have been seen as... couple-y. Her mouth became dry at the very thought.

Not this again.

For whatever reason, musings such as those had been worming their way into her brain more and more often. They were not welcome, right? Somehow, it became harder to tell herself that. It had become more common she would have liked to admit to herself for Quinn to be the last thing to cross her night before sleeping and the first thing after waking.

What did that mean though?

They had become extremely close since Quinn's violent display of loyalty and devotion to their friendship. After being left alone with Brittany and Santana, the blond had actually lost her generally happy demeanor. It was frightening to see even Brittany worried. That had to mean that something was most definitely wrong or about to go wrong. Santana's hasty departure made that even more likely.

Brittany had taken great care of carefully helping Rachel slip her shirt back on. After that came a strange gesture that could only be described as a Brittany-ism. As a action of pure affection and support, the tall Dutch girl had cupped the diva's face in her hands and leaned down not to kiss Rachel on the lips, but to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

At the time, Rachel hadn't had the time to fully process what had just happened. Everything just didn't seem real. However, seeing Quinn hauled away by an administrator certainly shoved her into the reality of the situation. The former-Cheerio turned knight in shining armor only met her eyes for a moment. What passed between them still bewildered the singer.

Santana hadn't sent a single glance towards Quinn. Actually, the Latina just seemed to be spurred on by the imminent threat of being dragged away. The dark-skinned girl was a pure hellion; an enraged animal seeking blood to satisfy some bestial thirst. Due to the impact of her knee into Jesse's family jewels, it became apparent that the boy wasn't going to be able to speak or move properly for a couple of days, if not longer. It still was satisfactory.

Even as the clear victor in a one-sided battle, Santana Lopez kept ripping into the boy. Her face was contorted with relentless fury. Her vicious drive to reduce Jesse to a pile of bloody pulp seemed to be driven by more than his... abuse... of Rachel. Any time that someone from the crowd tried to break up the fight, Santana would momentarily change her targets, floor her foolish challenger, and return to punching and kicking the former Vocal Adrenaline star. She was acting as a messenger from Hell itself; a wolf in an already scary sheep's clothing.

"Quinn?" Rachel spoke without meaning too. Her perfect friend turned to face her, hand pausing on the handle to open the car door.

"Yes?" That melodic, incredible voice was addicting.

"Can... you sleep over tonight..? I-I just... Please?" The question became slow and uncertain.

"Of course, sweetie." Rachel felt a small thrill at the term of endearment. Her spirits lifted at the thought and a small smile worked its way onto her lips. Quinn was the few people who didn't look at her differently.

Everyone else in glee club...hell, in the school, avoided her eyes and acted awkward around her. No one knew what to say. They treated her differently and, while she knew that her fellow glee members just wanted to help, they just ended up making her feel like an outcast. There were only three people who didn't behave that way. Ironically, two of those three were people who had done their best to torture her in what felt like a previous life. Santana was a little kinder towards her, but otherwise remained the same old Cheerio. Brittany was just as sweet and lovably air headed as she had always been. And Quinn... Quinn was still nice to her. She was caring and strong and kind. Quinn, no matter what time that Rachel called, would always answer and come over whenever she asked and even when she could just sense that Rachel needed someone.

"I love you..."

Who had just said that? Rachel turned to look over at Quinn in the driver's sight and noticed that the former Cheerio's mouth was open in a round, confused 'O'. Why were her fingers clenched around the wheel? That was odd. The realization struck her and instantly made her flush darkly and stammer nonsensically. _She _- Rachel - had said those words.

"..You know, I love you like you're my best friend... I've never had one before..." Her tone was meek and less convincing than she had hoped. Her eyes shifted over once more to meet the wide hazel of Quinn Fabray. Why had she said such a thing? She was just confused, that was all. Rachel wasn't a lesbian. And, hypothetically, even if she was, there was no way that Quinn Fabray would have feelings for her. Enough said.

Rachel's heart felt heavier.

"I love you too, then." A convincingly bright smile that pained the blond. For a moment, everything had fallen into place. Quinn had thought that the stars had all aligned perfectly and that God himself had finally blessed her for her persistence and devotion. Apparently not.

...

Honestly, replying to the THIRTY-FOUR reviews that the last chapter got has taken longer than writing the chapter itself. This is incredibly flattering and makes me so happy! Thank you all, really! Thank you so much! Anyway, on with my customary thanks to everyone who has supported me and this story by adding either/both me and it to their favorites and alerts! Thank you to peanutbutter21, Blaze Phoenix, eyesascandles, calhoun91, , azstreetdrummer, photographer02, still.2, SparkleGleek, zette00, Brittany1386, , CordeliaHalliwell, My Personal Rose, sammiewhammy, spizle, Shakori, rose1223, PrisciT, crazyoutoflove, meri1984, chrisrocks36, fearless6, unrestrictedparadise, little fille, and darkchylde80.

To my reviewers! **Seaweed Water**, well, that is funny! I had no idea! **Hello**, _very _soon to be her girl. **Anon**, definitely the recovery phase and Quinnie is there to help! **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, I think there will certainly be a nice Shelby/Rachel moment in the chapters ahead. Thank you for suggesting that, you just gave me ideas! **Blaze Phoenix**, S and B are just amazing and have awesome chemistry and I will be writing a SB story that will be written in June and posted the beginning of July. **Music and Reading Lover**, thank you and Jesse's just getting pounded on! It's great!** Ash Ninja**, thank you very much and I enjoyed writing this chapter! **Yabrial Sorenson**, of course because San is just a total badass! She's great! **Bloodsucker9**, thank you very much for reviewing and Quinn is doing great at comforting her soon-to-be girl! **Embers of Twilight**, thank you very much! I try to get these as cleaned up as possible as I write. Oh... well, whatever floats Lea's character's boat! **eyesascandles**, I'm really glad that you are enjoying the story! Quinn makes a lovely heroine, doesn't she?

**calhoun91**, you should be more worried about Jesse, not Quinn. Quinnie is bringing down the hammer, man! **Dessa**, :D thank you! **Sheaggins**, that beatdown scene was extremely fun to write and I'm glad that you liked it! **Shorty-600**, wow, you read everything? Good job! Shelby isn't going to be happy, not at all. **Cyberbaby**, it seemed like taking off Rachel's clothes without thinking about it was a very Brittany thing to do. I really liked that part! **JackyKay**, thank you for reviewing and I'm really glad you're enjoying it! **km**, glad that you like everything! I'm really hyped about the other story ideas that I have. **Recall the Love**, I love your story, just so that you know! Hell yes, Quinn is just awesome! **zette00**, thank you and Santana and Quinn are just badass, aren't they? **CordeliaHalliwell**, I hope that you find the chapter good for satisfying some of your vengeful feelings towards St. James!

**My Personal Rose**, thank you so much! I write mainly by trying to see if I can picture the actors doing whatever it is that I'm writing! I'm glad that you could see it! And I'm really happy that you asked that question! I was hoping someone would comment on Santana. That, however, is for the S/B story to explain! **RowanKuga**, Quinn does make an excellent force of vengeance, doesn't she? **Valvox**, the next (two?) chapters should make you very happy then! **Omni-Obiter**, indeed she is that. Why? Because Quinn is badass. Perhaps not Santana-badass, but badass in her own right. Tuesday The First, thank you for reviewing! I love reviews (like that needs pointing out)! **AJ**, here is the continued asskicking

**razmataz13drums**, no worries, I've got that covered! **rose1223**, thank you very much for review and I hope you continue to like it! **PrisciT**, I'm glad that I was able to change your mind because angst can be great to read! And this will have a happy ending, so it's even better! **stix04**, aww, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! **Rae Shadewalker**, don't we all wish that? My Jesse would have a whole new world of problems if we were able to get at him. **meri1984**, I think being protective is so in Quinn and San's personalities, don't you? **Random Dice/Spike/Kelsie**, I believe that you have most of your answers now! Shelby will come in a little bit! Thank you, and I'm sorry for your dad never was able to meet his parents. That's really sad...

**Author's Note**: I'm glad that Glee showed that not all parent-child reunions are meant to be and they won't end in some magical land of hugging and ponies, but it still made me sad, you know? I like Shelby a lot and I hope they work into some kind of friendly relationship in later seasons. I don't want them to just drop the storyline. That would make me sadder. But, great job to all of the actors! They were brilliant! Brittany had awesome lines ("maybe a chicken?"). Can't wait for next week!


	9. The Perfect Movie

In a small little nowhere like Lima, no one could keep a rumor quiet.

This task was especially difficult when an entire school's student body, faculty and parents were all buzzing with the news. From what she had heard whispered by various members of Vocal Adrenaline and other community figures, all hell had been rained down upon her star, Jesse St. James.

Some people seemed to think the boy was guilty of the crime and damned him violently. Others claimed that he was innocent; too good of a guy for that sort of business and the girl who attacked him was just insane. Rather, the girls who attacked him. Both assailants had refused to inform the principal of what was wrong or why they beat the hell out of the boy. In fact, no one was speaking up.

So far, not even the supposed victim was complaining. It had taken a while just for the girl to allow anyone to even try to lift up her shirt to check and by the time they had, the alleged injuries were no where in sight. There was a simple explanation for that, of course. Had there been bruises, they had simply healed.

Jesse made no mention of it when he stumbled into rehearsal with a show of false bravado and a plastic smile. None of his Vocal Adrenaline comrades heckled him... not openly, anyway. His friends stuck right by him and defended his honor. Everyone else settled for shooting disgusted looks his way. Behind his mask, it was easy to pick out the boy's miserable confusion.

But, since all parties involved had clammed up, there was technically no crime. It left certain interested people... frustrated.

For instance, Shelby Corcoran.

With no information other than the gossip of teenagers to rely on and, so far, unsubstantiated accusations, it left the woman in a rough position. If it was true, there was absolutely no way that she would allow him to remain in the show choir. It would besmirch their sterling reputation. Sure, that was the most superficial reason she could think of and it would be the reason that she would give him and his parents (if they ever bothered to give a damn about their son).

That wouldn't be the reason though. Rachel meant more to her than than thousands Vocal Adrenalines would. The truth was that she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to do something wholly unprofessional and emotional to the boy. Her jaw set as the aggression came into play again. At the moment, she could barely even look at the boy without wishing excessive violence on him. It was unfair, yeah, but she didn't care about that. She cared about Rachel.

She, Shelby, had been the one to push Jesse together with Rachel. Any harm that been resulted from that... Well, she considered it to be her own fault. Guilt and fear gnawed at her gut every time that she thought about what Rachel may be going through at that very moment. More than anything in the world, she wished that her biological daughter would confide in her.

That was a lot to ask for. They had only known each other for a short period of time.

She couldn't just kick him out of Vocal Adrenaline with no support, even if she really wanted to. Part of her mind chided her for jumping to conclusions without knowing the whole story. It wasn't right to assume the worst in a boy she had known for years longer than her own kid. Maybe nothing had happened and everyone was just making a scandal out of a misunderstanding. What good would it do to contribute to flaming pit of hell that was small town gossip?

Shelby sighed and forced herself to return to her work. Vocal Adrenaline had a competition to win. Her last wistful thought was of her daughter; her beautiful, amazingly talented daughter. The only child she would ever have.

That same girl fidgeted absently with Quinn's hands where they lay curled together on the couch in front of the television in the darkened living room. This was a normal routine for the pair. Whenever Rachel wanted, and that was often, Quinn would sleep over and they would, without fail, find themselves in this position. Quinn always took the spot further back on the couch and Rachel would, well, cuddle close in front of her. They were both facing the television screen though, so, it was just a comfortable friendly gesture.

Rachel only assumed that the way they acted was normal. She didn't have any other experiences with female companionship to compare it to, but she thought it was quite nice. It made her feel wanted and instilled great confidence in Quinn's reliability as a friend. More than that... Quinn made her feel secure and safe. Rachel struggled with having the object of her reluctant affections so close to her body. They were cuddled right up against each other and it made ignoring or denying those feelings incredibly difficult; impossible, even.

At the moment, the pair were busy watching a scary movie. It was what they had been doing since Quinn arrived, actually. First, of course, Rachel refused to start off the movie night with anything other than _Funny_ _Girl_. How typical. Quinn had taken over after that. While she loved show tunes as much as the next theatrical gleek, she still had an average teen's love of horror movies no matter how predictable they were. There had, in fact, been a reason Quinn insisted on watching scary movie after scary movie.

Quinn had discovered that whenever she watched a scary movie with Rachel, the brunette would practically cling to her and cuddle herself almost underneath blond's body for protection and comfort. This allowed Quinn the freedom to casually loop her arm around the diva's waist and give her gentle squeezes of reassurance. Sophia Bush was onscreen doing something or other because of a psychotic hitchhiker. The movie, appropriately enough, was _The Hitcher_. There had been times when Quinn just gaped at the beauty of the brunette celebrity. Now, she found that she barely registered what the woman was doing.

Her focus was set on the girl in her arms. The blond concentrated on the even rise and fall of Rachel's chest against her light grip; the addicting and pleasant scent of her hair; the smooth feel of those delicate fingers tracing over her hands. This was all that she ever wanted... almost. Quinn felt her heart thumping faster as it urged her to do the one thing that her brain would not allow.

Friends don't kiss friends.

... Unless you happen to be Brittany and Santana.

There was a horrified squeak and, just like that, Rachel was turned around in her arms and planted firmly against her chest to avoid seeing the body of a man wrenched in half by two trucks going in opposite directions. There was a muffled, dramatic moan of the brunette saying something about how this atrocity would forever scar her innocent mind and that she was never driving alone in the rain when she came into possession of her license. The whole act just made Quinn giggle.

"You're such a drama queen, Rachel." Her tone was affectionate and amused.

Rachel's face slowly rose to come even with her own, a look of melodramatic indignation on the girl's face. Everything felt so very, very warm now. Much to Quinn's mortification, she could feel a harsh heat rising through her skin and climbing to cover her face. Even as she gave a futile attempt to stave the unwelcome flush off, she knew that it was useless. She was in the very position that she had been hoping for for months.

_Rachel_ _Berry_ was in her arms. Rachel Berry was just inches from her face. Rachel Berry's perfect pouting lips were easily within her reach. At that moment, Rachel Berry was _hers_ and _only hers_. The thought was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It was as though everything had simply stopped. The Earth stopped revolving around the sun, the wind stopped whipping trees and leaves around, and every other living being on the planet just froze in the middle of whatever they were doing.

This time and this space were meant only for Quinn and Rachel, Rachel and Quinn. Berry and Fabray, Fabray and Berry. Faberry. Huh, Faberry, that was a weird word.

Rachel's lips were pressed to her own in an uncoordinated, anxiety filled kiss.

...

To those who favorited me/this story or added one or both of us to your alerts, thank you! Thank you, Recall the Love, bathtoeb, ShadowCreed, Rach1989, dinosaurchickennugget (those dino-nuggets were badass, you know?), ManiazAzn, Jean815, TilUDrop, chari0t, starophie, KerraDelvin, saihunter, PashaVrais, and lazyness-kills! Thank you all!

Reviewers! **xlaugh16**, thank you very much! It really was weird that Jesse wasn't there, like, at all. I was confused. I was totally expecting Rachel to see him onstage during VA rehearsal, but it never happened. Pokerface was badass, man. Absolutely loved it and their chemistry. Just amazing. I love Brittany! She's great! **Recall the Love**, the second part of your fic had me SO excited! I mean, really, you're brilliant, absolutely brilliant. :D Ah, yes, for the next (final) chapter, I have something pretty big planned. Thank you! **RowanKuga**, I really like how Queen Quinn sounds when you say it. It has a nice aristocratic feel that's just made of win. Rachel definitely needs help. She's just a confused kid. **calhoun91**, nonsense, it never gets old! Thank you! **contemptuous appeal**, Santana and Quinn just make amazing moments wherever they go. It's why they're great (with Brit and Rachel, of course!) **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, Shelby, Rachel and friends will have a moment in the next chapter because I love Shelby.

**AJ**, thank you so much! Writing Rachel made me sad, but at least I have Quinn to make her better! **Ash Ninja**, thank you! Here's the update! Hope you like it. **Yabrial Sorenson**, it made me smile to write a stammering Rachel. After all, we all know how much the girl likes to talk. Seeing her at a loss for words is just fun! **Bloodsucker94**, sorry, mate, the sleep over was more for Q and R bonding time. I did consider what you said though, but I couldn't work it in smoothly! **Random Dice/Spike/K**, thank you! Ah, well, you'll just have to wait and see why Santana has such issues. I hate it when television shows just randomly drop important storylines as though they never happened, but I'm hoping that Glee is different. I can see where you're dad is coming from with that. I love my adoptive family, they're great and I, oddly, look exactly like my mom (I just have darker skin and hair). **Music and Reading Lover**, thank you very much!

**Dessa**, this review made me smile a lot! Thank you very much for your kind words! I think Q makes an excellent queen. I always think she should be re-throned, so I made it so! **Andrea**, I'm glad you don't find this tasteless. Thank you. And I know they should call the cops, but when I tried to write it, the whole thing was forced and choppy, so I scrapped it and wrote it in a way that gives a slight explanation and then goes on with the story. Thank you for the review! **km**, I think they did a lovely job with Shelby and Rachel. It was bittersweet, but realistic and I liked it a lot. Not everything is puppies and unicorns all of the time, you know? So, it's great they didn't make it that way. **Valvox**, aww, that's sad! I hope this chapter makes you more :D than 0_o. :) Cheers, mate. **meri1984**, thank you! I love Quinn too! And Rachel! And Brittany and Santana! Yay, (most of the) Glee Girls! **Jean815**, holy cow, man, all 8? All Quinns - especially the two you named- are amazing! Heck yes. Well, maybe not Puck and Quinn or FinnQuinn... I don't really like those. I don't like I-Hate-Rachel Quinn. That just makes me sad.

**chari0t**, thank you! I hope you like this chapter as well! **starophie**, we can all wistfully hope for the writers to have Quinn be there for Rachel. **Frankie**, thank you, that's sweet! Sorry, mate, no ass-kicking! **1angelette**, I can see your point with that, so thank you for pointing that out. I sometimes have problems with little details of continuity and mental description (in the first chapter of this story, I described Quinn's eyes as "crystalline blue". Later, I switched to hazel. Very different colors.). I appreciate your input very much! Thank you for your kind words and critique!

**A note about the lack of Shelby-ass-kicking**: A lot of people have said that they like this story because of the realistic way I write. With that in mind, it just didn't seem realistic for Shelby to beat down a teenage boy who has been under her wing for years as the VA star. And, well, she's an adult, not an enraged, hormone driven teenager who happens to lack in impulse control. I apologize again. However, you are all more than welcome to hold imaginary ass-kickings in your mind. For that purpose, I give you little ass-kicking prompts! A) Beatdown of Jesse with a Pitchform By Shelby B) Santana, Quinn, Shelby Beatdown of Jesse With Fists, C) Free For All, Random Object, Hate-On-Jesse Beatdown, D) Anything Else That Floats Your Boat Beatdown. Have fun!


	10. The Perfect Couple

Rachel stumbled into the theater, feeling very much like Brittany after taking too many antibiotics at once. She wasn't supposed to be here. More than a few people would be furious to know that she had ambled right into the auditorium of Carmel High. Her jacket was haphazardly wrapped around her body and every unprotected inch of her body was drenched from the ongoing downpour. For a few moments, she could do little more than slump into the seat behind the choir director's table and stare absently into space.

Tears continued to burn her eyes harshly. The salty liquid stung and impaired her vision by turning everything into a bleeding blobs of color, but she could not have stopped crying even if her life had depended on it. It was difficult to even remember why she was crying to begin with. There had just been an overwhelming amount of confusing emotions and she found that she, the very queen of emotional responses, could not handle it. She wasn't ready to handle it.

Her dads were gay and she loved them. However, her entire life she had been mocked and bullied because of that fact. It wasn't because of any fault on their part. It was because in this small, bigoted town, anything the slightest bit controversial was sneered at and shunned. Parents whispered in obvious disapproval whenever her dads went out in public together. It wasn't as though they kissed in public or did anything other than hold hands. Still, there had been more than one time when teachers approached her as a small child and asked if her dads were treating her 'appropriately' and not in 'uncomfortable ways'.

She had never understood why until she was a bit older and figured out that they were convinced that, since her dads were gay, they were obviously pedophiles. During the later part of her years in elementary school, Rachel finally told the teacher that her parents were doting and loving and that her constant queries were offensive and bordered on discriminatory harassment. Rachel had been entirely sure if the latter part of her statement was true, but it seemed to be more that a girl her age had said the words that put her teachers off once and for all.

After being snickered at and mocked that she would turn out a dyke because of her dads, Rachel had tried to do her best to deny any feelings for Quinn. She had put it off as a simple crush fueled by adolescent curiosity. That was totally normal, wasn't it? Girls could have crushes on other girls and still be straight. When Finn came along, she had really had feelings for him. However, the crush never fully bloomed into anything more no matter how much she tried to push it along. Puck... Puck was really little more than a hormonal, desperate fling. Then there was Jesse and he was perfect in every way. Had the truth not come out to her, she would have never condemned his actions as wrong.

Rachel knew better now.

Then... There was Quinn...

"Sweetie, what are you doing here?" The familiar voice grabbed her attention instantly. This was the voice she had been waiting to hear since she arrived. Rachel muttered a small apology for getting the table and seat wet as she rose to her feet. It was unexpected when the slender pair of arms wrapped around her and tucked her close to the taller body of her mother.

"S-Shelby... I need you... I don't know... I-I need you..." And Rachel curled herself tightly into her biological mother's embrace and held on as though she had no plans of ever letting her go. The teenager heard her mother making soothing sounds as she stroked her hair gently. At some point, Shelby lightly pressed her into the seat again before sitting next to her. In the back of her mind, Rachel noted that it felt extremely nice to have the woman worry and fuss over her. Shelby gave a soft smile as she took off her own jacket and wrapped it around her distraught daughter.

"Talk to me, Rachel. What's got you so upset?" Shelby kept one warm arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders and kept her close. It took a few shuddering and gulping breaths before she could even begin to recount what had initiated her panicked breakdown.

_Had she kissed Quinn or had Quinn kissed her?_

_All she knew was that she had just lifted her head to look up at the blond with a playful scowl on her lips. Then they were kissing. At that very moment, Rachel honestly didn't give a damn how it happened. She was just happy that it had happened at all. Her brain exited the building and allowed her heart and a healthy dose of hormones to reign over her decision making. The movie continued on in the background, ignored in favor of a more interesting source of 'entertainment'. No, that was the wrong word for it. Quinn wasn't just a game. She was Quinn Fabray. This was her best friend and only confidante. _

_This was... her love interest?_

_The thought was brushed from her thoughts as Quinn broke the connection of their lips, breathing hard and with eyes darkened by want and-and something else that was undefinable. Rachel pressed against her again, hands snaking behind her neck to weave fingers into that beautiful, luxurious hair. Neither of them said anything as they kissed with increasing passion._

_Rachel felt as though her body had risen several degrees and her heart thudded mercilessly against her ribcage as she urged Quinn into a sitting position just to push her onto her back. The brunette's only goal had been to make sure that she was the one on top and in charge of the situation. The blond, as dominant as her personality was, was surprisingly content with acting as the submissive partner._

_Indeed, she gave no signs of protest as Rachel's hands fumbled with her pants to push the offending items of dress out of the way. Still, there was no argument when the shirt was wrenched away from her body and undergarments hurriedly cast aside. It was almost as though Quinn was too shocked to fully comprehend what was happening. So, there they were, in the middle of the living room. One girl was completely without any clothing, the other straddled her waist and she confident hands over soft, bare skin._

_But, Quinn had gone and ruined the moment. The blond had broken the kiss and held Rachel's face in her hands. Her head was turned to one side, a blush gently painting her lovely skin. Then she murmured nervously that she had only ever done this once before and never with another girl. It hadn't occurred to Rachel that, between the two of them, she was the one with the most experience in this area. Then Quinn shyly turned to face her and, in those dimly illuminated hazel eyes, Rachel saw love. It was pure and simple and obvious love._

_It was terrifying._

_Just like that, Rachel was fully aware of where that one of her hands had been traveling south and had only just dipped to caress the blond's inner thigh. At this realization, Rachel jerked herself away and, stuttering, announced that it was late and they should just go to bed._

_The spell had broken, destroyed by her fear._

_Rachel didn't stick around downstairs long enough to see the look in Quinn's eyes. When Quinn quietly slipped into her room some time later, she heart quiet crying coming from where the blond had curled up on the carpeted floor with nothing but a spare blanket and pillow._

_It wasn't supposed to mean anything, what had just happened. But, it still had. _

_It had meant everything._

"Rachel, baby..." Shelby was looking at her with a small frown, but her tone was still kind, "You left her on your couch, naked and alone?"

"When you put it that way..." Rachel, shamefaced, looked at her hands uncomfortably. "I... I don't know what to do... All my life, everyone has hated me because my family is different. They all said I would turn out to be some filthy _dyke_ because of my _faggot_ dads and we would all burn in hell and... there have even been people who said my dads shouldn't be allowed to even live or have me... Just because they love each other... And... And..."

Shelby raised a hand slightly to stop her in her tracks.

"Do _you_ think being gay is wrong?"

Rachel's eyes widened in shock at the question.

"Of course not! I love my dads and they have every right to be together! Love is love, no matter who it happens to be between!" A bit of the dramatic Rachel had a moment to shine with huffy indignation. This seemed to cause some amusement in her mother for the older brunette gave a slight smirk at the display.

"Then why would it be such a bad thing for you to be with Quinn? From the way you looked when you talked about her, I'd say you're guilty of having some romantic feelings for the girl as well." Rachel turned scarlet and looked down at her hands again. Shelby had strongly wanted to ask her daughter about the rumors involving Jesse, but almost felt guilty for her curiosity. She steeled herself. "Rachel, baby, I need to ask you something. Please, just try to answer honestly."

The question was asked. Then it was answered. However, it wasn't words that answered. It was the way that Rachel's body tightened; the way her face fell and her skin drained of all color; the way her eyes filled with some indescribable suffering. And then the tears came. Shelby had her answer.

Jesse St. James' time with Vocal Adrenaline was finished. He would be receiving no further support from her and any of his former teammates. That was damn sure. The extent of what she could do was painfully limited. Shelby Corcoran was an adult, not a teenager who could be excused for beating the shit out of a boy like that. When she tried - in a more than desperate manner - to convince Rachel to involve the authorities, the petite brunette refused. She didn't want to think about it more than was necessary. Her external wounds had healed and so she had nothing to back-up her claim. Rachel had made sure that was the case.

All that was left for Shelby to do was inform Jesse that he was no longer welcome in her show choir. During that short, snarling conversation, he was also told that if he went anywhere near Rachel Berry again, there would be hell to pay. In a uncharacteristically small and confused voice, Jesse had accepted her words and then hung up.

Jesse St. James wasn't sure where his life went so wrong. These actions towards him were completely unwarranted. He hadn't done anything wrong and what did he have to show for being a perfect boyfriend? Nothing. His present and future had crumbled into nonexistence. His short, brilliant career was over.

With these sort of rumors of 'abuse' right on his tail, he would never make it in any business as a star. That was the only thing that he had ever wanted, really. As he sat on his bed, head bowed over clasped hands, his heart ached sorrowfully. All this had happened over a little misunderstanding. Why couldn't anyone else see that Rachel was just being punished a little?

What was wrong with putting his girlfriend in her rightful place as a woman?

With a destroyed future and a life full of being beaten down, slushied until his eyes burned constantly from the corn syrup, having no friends or supportive family, and constant threats of how he should leave or just stop existing because he was a plague to humanity (those words from Karofsky had been surprising), Jesse saw no way out of this pathetic existence. Once, he had been a star. He had been popular. Never in his eighteen years of living had he been forced to face such brutal trials of strength.

Because he had never been forced to build up a thick skin or face the hatred of others, Jesse found his will to continue on waning every day.

Enough was enough.

He was tired off all of this.

So, he would do something about his pitiful excuse of a life.

Quinn Fabray was also feeling depressed, though not to Jesse's extent. The object of her affections had abandoned her on the couch. Not just that, but they had been getting ready to have sex when Rachel suddenly flipped out and fled up to her room. Quinn had ended up naked, vulnerable and alone. It had been devastating for her. Before Rachel even woke the next morning, Quinn had departed.

The blond was curled up in Santana's room, absently staring as Brittany played with the Latina's hands and watched the movie that they had inserted into San's DVD player. When Quinn had showed up at the front door of the Lopez household, no questions had been asked about the tears stains on her cheeks or the red-rimmed eyes. Santana had taken one look at her and wordlessly stepped aside for her to enter.

That had been about forty-eight hours ago, actually. Mr. and Mrs. Lopez absolutely adored Brittany and Quinn, so it was never unusual for one or both of the blonds to sleep over for several days at a time. Both of Santana's parents were aware that Quinn had been disowned and Brittany had her own set of familial problems, so neither of them made a fuss over their frequent visitors. In fact, they welcomed both as though they were and always had been part of the Lopez clan. At the moment, the adults were out of the house to go on a date together.

Choosing to ignore _John Tucker Must Die_, Quinn instead shifted her gaze to the window. It had been raining since yesterday afternoon. Brittany had been upset because she wanted to go with Santana to see the ducks at the park. Brittany loved ducks. To make up for it, Santana had headed off somewhere for about an hour before returning with a set of small rubber ducks in hand. As expected, Brittany had squealed in excitement, leapt upon Santana to give her a fierce kiss and then proceeded to squeeze the cute little children's toys every few minutes until her girlfriend gently told her to wait until they took a bath to play with them.

Quinn wished that she could have those type of moments with Rachel.

But... Rachel didn't seem to have any such desires.

The thought made her chest ache agonizingly. Quinn blinked tears away fiercely, trying to deny them any power to fall and show her weakness. There was a buzz somewhere near her leg, but the former Cheerio brushed the cell phone onto the floor. She didn't want to deal with Puck asking her irritating questions again.

Instead, Brittany chipperly lifted the device to her ear and answered with a bright, "Hi, Ray!"

A pause and then, after a look at Santana for some sort of wordless advice, she answered whatever had been said, "Uh... Yeah! Q's here. Guess what? San got me ducks. No, not real ones like Mr. Schue's ballads, but I still love them. I love- oh, bye!"

It was less than a minute later that Brittany inexplicably rose to her feet and loped out of the room with all of the grace of a dancer. No matter what Brittany did, it was always fluid and graceful. Quinn had to wonder if the girl was ever aware of just how beautifully she moved. There were muffled voices and nearing footsteps.

Quinn's heart sank and her blood turned icy.

Rachel Berry stepped into the room, contrition clearly expressed on her face. With the atmosphere tense, Santana gently took her girlfriend by the arm and muttered something about a bath that made the tall Cheerio clap happily and clutch her rubber ducks to her chest as they exited. The door closed behind them with a small click. Now, she and Rachel were alone.

"Quinn, I would like to preface what I am about to say with my sincerest apologies. Leaving you as I did was cruel and wrong and extremely stupid and I am pleading for your forgiveness in this most important and life-changing matter of the hearts." The typically formal, rambling style of Rachel's speech pattern brought a small smile to Quinn's lips. As pained and heartbroken as she may have been, seeing Rachel lessened the hurt.

It didn't excuse it, though.

"W...Why did you do that to me, Rachel...?" A shuddering breath as she sat up, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest for comfort. She avoided those entrancing chocolate eyes of the other girl and tried to stop the tears beginning to blur up her vision, "First... I mean, first you were hot... really hot... then... then you just went all frigid on me... You left me there... I-I thought... maybe, maybe you liked me...?"

The bed creaked softly and Quinn found herself being coaxed to lie on her back with Rachel above her. Her heart leapt into her throat and, even though she knew that she should shove the brunette away until she received an answer, she found that the closeness of it all was too much to give up. Rachel leaned in close to her ear, one slender, hesitant arm encircling her waist.

"I do like you, Quinn... I needed a little time to-to consider what this means... What it meant when we kissed... I didn't want to hurt you or give you the wrong idea if I wasn't completely certain that I felt the same way. But... Quinn... Even though you used to make it your mission to be cruel to me whenever the opportunity arose, I've-I've always liked you. The feelings have always been there. So..."

Rachel's voice choked up and a blanket of brightest red fell over her face before she found the strength to continue, "Would you like to go out with me, Quinn?"

A grin spread over the blond's face, "Yes, Rachel. Yes, I really, really would."

The queen of gleeks managed to snag the queen of the school. The match was hardly expected by anyone else. Well, unless that anyone else happened to be Santana or Brittany. In that case, it was totally expected. Their elation and happiness were short-lived. The two had been cuddling for no more than a few minutes when Santana slowly re-entered the room with an odd expression on her face.

Neither diva nor queen could figure out just what the look was. It was odd, closed-off with a mixture of anger and horror and a confusing mixture of other emotions. Even though it was difficult to pinpoint, it was clear that it was bad news. When Santana forced a smile and called back to Brittany to just keep playing with the ducks, Rachel and Quinn simultaneously felt their stomachs drop.

A moment of silence in which a towel-covered Santana Lopez came to stop in front of them, brow furrowed, muscles tight and fists clenched.

"St. James is in a hospital pending a transfer to a psychiatric facility. Bastard tried to kill himself. Thought you might want to know." The way that the words were spoken made it clear that Santana was forcing herself not to sound sorry about her part in the ferocious hazing of the boy. And yet, the weight of their roles weighed heavily down on them. The Latina turned on her heel and padded back out of the room to seek unspoken comfort in her loving girlfriend.

For the next two weeks, Rachel cried, and then continued her long process of recovery. Quinn held her in her arms, kissed her, whispered sweetly in her ear. And then Quinn shed tears that she tried to hide. It had, after all, been her idea to so violently seek revenge on the boy. She was the one responsible for the hell his life had turned into. It was her fault that he had sought suicide to end his miserable teenaged existence. Rachel, however, did something surprising.

Rachel took her aside... and thanked her.

Quinn, even if her decisions were harsh when it came to Jesse, had been to protect _her_. Quinn had saved her. Quinn-Quinn was her hero. Her very own perfect white knight; her princess charming gallantly coming to save the day. Her methods were not something to be encouraged and, in hindsight, Rachel should have alerted the authorities to begin with, but it also wasn't their fault that Jesse had chosen to do what he did.

Jesse was still alive and in some hospital for treatment. Maybe he would turn out a better person for it.

"Quinn," Rachel began as they lay curled together on her couch, watching the National Geographic channel, "I wanted to tell you something."

Her girlfriend answered her with a little kiss on the cheek as she waited for the words to come from her girlfriend's mouth. This position was perfect. They were warm and comforted by each other's presence. Rachel was snuggled back against Quinn's chest while the blond had draped an arm around the brunette's midsection and intertwined their legs. There had never been a more perfect moment in the entire existence of life. Everything was just... right. Quinn felt complete and secure.

"I love you, Quinn Fabray."

A broad, warm smile lit up the blond's face but remained unseen by her counterpart. Another affectionate kiss and then a softly murmured, "I love you too, Rachel Berry."

...

And so, the ride is over with these two! Hope you all enjoyed the story!

To those who added me or this story to alerts and favorites, thank you! Thank you to Kenmura, InvisibleNinja, shewhorunswithvampires, YueZi, GalindaKnowsPopular (heck yes she does!), Ms-Fleur (delacour?), Romi-ES, lollilops, HALF-BAKED-iDEAS, PourLaVie, and addexlover!

**starophie**, I love Faberry cuddles too! Is always so cute! I hope the Shelby/Rachel moments satisfied you in this chapter! **Sheaggins**, yeah, dear Rachel was a bit lost and confused, but she's all good now! **Bloodsucker94**, well, that's about as close as I've ever come to writing sexytimes, so enjoy! **Ash Ninja**, nope, nothing like that, just a different kind of freak out. Hope you enjoy! **Yabrial Sorenson**, Jesse has... issues. So, he gets to go to a hospital to work them out! **Smalville-HarryPotterfan13**, Santana's reasons will become clear in the sister piece to this story! That, unfortunately, will not be up until July because I will be in Canada with no access to the internet or a computer for a month. **Music and Reading Lover**, I hope you've liked the story! **WiiPros**, haha, I'm glad! Thank you so much for the kind words and for, well, reading it! **Dessa**, who doesn't like a Hate-On-Jesse Beatdown? Quinn really would have all of the traits of a queen. That's why she's awesome. Did you like the make-out scene? Put it in because you suggested it! **Random Dice/Spike**, she beat down on him in a different way - through his dreams and a now shattered career. Ah, that's the question, isn't it? No one knows who kissed who first! Bahahaha! **Blaze Phoenix**, San would look pretty badass with a pitchfork. Hope you liked this chapter and it had enough cuteness to balance the angst-ness! **Jean815**, the word Faberry makes me think of strawberry. Never blueberry or any other berry, just strawberry. . Yup! Thank you so much! You're sweet! **RowanKuga**, there you have it, his young career is over. Sucks for him, eh? **meri1984**, wells... Rachel did freak, but Shelby found out and everything's cool! **Valvox**, definitely best idea ever! A microphone would just be perfect, man. Thank you for sticking with me through the chapters! I hope you liked this! **km**, Sophia Bush is kickass, so I always like to mention her when I can. Thank you for the review! **Embers of Twilight**, Nope, no more lurking. Sad as it is, the boy definitely needs help, but he's gone now. Hope you liked it! **AJ**, Rachel will be fine with some Quinn loving and time to heal, y'know? Thank you! **shewhorunswithvampires**, fantastic choice! Have fun with all of those scenarios, girl! Thank you!

**Author's Note**: Bullying is bad, remember that, folks. It can lead to horrible things happening and its better to stand up against it. Don't condone bullying to the extent that I've written, after all, this is just fiction. Real life, it can turn out worse. If you feel suicidal, talk to someone. Talk to a family member, a friend, a stranger, anyone. Just talk. Don't bottle it up. You can visit http:/www(dot)suicidepreventionlifeline(dot)org if you'd rather just speak with someone anonymous over the phone and call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It's a free hotline that is available 24-hours a day. If you can't find anyone else or don't want to talk to someone in person, use it. Don't hurt yourself. It's not worth it, really. If you are the victim of any kind of abuse or know someone who is in that position, get help from the authorities. Document injuries, see a doctor, make sure that you tell someone what is going on. Abuse is not okay. No one deserves to be treated like that. Get help. Here is another site for this subject http:/www(dot)ndvh(dot)org. You can also call 1−800−787−3224. Just **be safe**.

That was just my Snippax Public Service Announcement. Thank you all for reading and thank you all for your support.


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